How Did the Netherlands Manage to Become the First Country to have no Stray Dogs?

The World Health Organisation estimates there are around 200 million stray dogs worldwide. Impressively, the Netherlands is not contributing to this statistic. It has become the first country in the world without any stray dogs! 

Dutch people love their pets. Puppies are whisked around the city in bike baskets, most cafes and restaurants are dog-friendly, and small pets can ride on public transport for a reduced price. Once, I even looked after a dog that had different flavoured meals for each night of the week (unreal, I know…). But all this dog-loving evidently pays off!

To read more on this story, click here: How Did the Netherlands Manage to Become the First Country to have no Stray Dogs?

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Stray Dog Who Keeps Visiting Car Dealership Is Adopted By Staff And Given A Job

A stray dog who was determined to land his dream job at a Hyundai car dealership has seen his persistency pay off after he was given a job - and a home.

Earlier this year, staff at a Hyundai Prime branch in Brazil spotted the dog waiting around outside the showroom and assumed he would eventually move on.

But as time passed by the stray continued to show up and on one particularly rainy night the manager, Emerson Mariano, took pity on the pup and invited him into the warm for some food and water.

The lonely dog seemed determined to stay and it didn't take him long to win the hearts of the staff, who adopted him as the dealership's mascot.

To read more on this story, click here: Stray Dog Who Keeps Visiting Car Dealership Is Adopted By Staff And Given A Job

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Heartbreaking Photo of a Stray Dog Hugging a Teddy Bear Has Gone Viral: Triggering a Bit of Controversy

Houston, Texas - This heartbreaking of a stray dog hugging a teddy bear on socialmedia -- and triggered a bit of controversy.

This is the picture. A sadder-than-sad stray dog who has found a tiny bit of comfort...by snuggling up to a forsaken teddy bear.

The picture was taken by a Houston woman named Yvette Holzbach with the group 'Forgotten Dogs of The Fifth Ward'.

When she posted it on her Facebook page, there was criticism.

Why didn't you rescue the dog?"

This is her explanation: "We can feed up to 50 stray dogs [daily]. Of those 50 dogs we are lucky if we are able to save one because...there are not enough foster homes."

"[To] understand what we are faced with we welcome you to do a ride along with us. You will be astounded at how many homeless dogs there are."

That is as true in Southern California - as it is in Houston.

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What You Should Dog If You See a Dog Shivering in the Cold

Do you know what to do if you see a dog shivering in the cold? Even with their thick coats they are extremely vulnerable. If you see a dog outside without shelter you should contact your local police department. Just like humans, dogs are at risk for hypothermia, frost bite and even death when left in extreme conditions.

Dogs should never be left outside when temperatures drop below zero degrees Fahrenheit (-17.7 degrees C). Breeds with shorter hair like Labradors, Beagles, and greyhounds as well as puppies and older dogs are the most vulnerable.

Warning signs include shivering, lethargy and clumsiness, leading to coma and even death. Experts say it’s always best to keep you dog indoors and not to leave them unattended for extended periods of time. Walking your dog in the cold can also be painful for your dog’s paws. Keep them moist and apply petroleum jelly to their paws before walks in the winter.

Please share and help keep every dog warm and safe this winter.

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‘White God', The Movie: ’Man Bites Dog, Dog Bites Back' - 250 Trained Dogs Seize an Opportunity to Escape from the Animal Shelter, and Revolt Against Mankind

A cautionary tale between a superior species and its disgraced inferior... Favoring pedigree dogs, a new regulation puts a severe tax on mixed breeds. Owners dump their dogs and shelters become overcrowded. 13-year-old Lili fights desperately to protect her pet Hagen, but her father eventually sets the dog free on the streets. Hagen and his pretty master search desperately for each other until Lili loses faith. Struggling to survive, homeless Hagen realizes that not everyone is a dog’s best friend. Hagen joins a gang of stray dogs, but is soon captured and sent to the pound. With little hope inside there, the dogs will seize an opportunity to escape and revolt against mankind. Their revenge will be merciless. Lili may be the only one who can halt this unexpected war between man and dog.

MOVIE INFO
When young Lili is forced to give up her beloved dog Hagen, because it's mixed-breed heritage is deemed 'unfit' by The State, she and the dog begin a dangerous journey back towards each other. At the same time, all the unwanted, unloved and so-called 'unfit' dogs rise up under a new leader, Hagen, the one-time house pet who has learned all too well from his 'Masters' in his journey through the streets and animal control centers how to bite the hands that beats him.

Rating:
R (for violent content including bloody images, and language)
Genre:
Art House & International , Drama
Directed By:
Kornél Mundruczó
Written By:
Kornel Mundrunczo , Viktoria Petranyi , Kata Wéber , Kornél Mundruczó
In Theaters:
Mar 27, 2015 Limited
Runtime:
1 hr. 57 min.
Magnolia Pictures - Official Site 

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The hand that feeds — and also brutalizes — is righteously bitten in “White God,” a Hungarian revenge fantasy that’s like nothing you’ve seen on screen before. The story is as simple as a parable, a campfire story, a children’s book: A faithful animal, separated from its loving owner, endures, suffers, struggles and resists while trying to transcend its brutal fate. The director, Kornel Mundruczo, has said that he was partly inspired by J. M. Coetzee’s devastating novel “Disgrace,” but the movie also invokes haunting animal classics like “Black Beauty” and “The Call of the Wild.”

Like Buck, the four-legged hero of “The Call of the Wild,” the dog protagonist in “White God,” Hagen — played with full-bodied expressivity by the canine siblings Bodie and Luke — is a mixed breed. For his closest companion, a solemn-faced 13-year-old named Lili (Zsofia Psotta), Hagen’s ancestry isn’t an issue, but it is one for those state officials who tax dogs that aren’t purebreds. Lili’s father, Daniel (Sandor Zsoter), who has custody of her for a few months, has no interest in paying the tax or keeping the dog, which is how Hagen ends up on the streets of Budapest, initially alone, then in the hands of a cruel master and then with a pack.

That pack in all its barking, panting, tail-wagging glory is the big payoff in “White God,” which features 250 or so dogs that were trained for the movie, not a computer-generated pooch among them. Mr. Mundruczo has said that his movie was shot using the American film industry’s guidelines on the use of animal performers. That’s not entirely reassuring given the abuses that nonetheless occur during productions, as a ghastly 2013 exposé in The Hollywood Reporter affirmed. Still, viewers concerned about the welfare of the dogs, especially in some of the tougher scenes, should pay close attention to the cunning editing and camera angles as well as all those happy tails. Mr. Mundruczo has also produced, smartly, a reassuring behind-the-scenes video that’s available on YouTube.

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New Show From Houston, Texas - Operation Houston: Stray Dog City - Using Drones to Track Stray Dogs

Houston, Texas - Are those drones buzzing over a Sunnyside neighborhood, in south Houston?

"It's another amazing tool," said Tom McPhee, executive director of World Animal Awareness Society.

It's a tool to track stray dogs. WA2S is shooting a new TV show, Operation Houston: Stray Dog City. It's an up-close look at Houston's serious stray dog problem and the men and women who try to save the dogs before it's too late.

Momma is a pit bull found by Emal's group. She was found in an abandoned

Tom McPhee

house. She hadn't moved for days and was rotting to death.

"If we hadn't found her, she would have died," said Erika Emal, the founder of Southside Street Dogs.

"It's touch and go," said Emal.

She was rushed to a local emergency vet clinic. It's just one of several stories McPhee wants to highlight in Houston.

"There's obviously issues and problems here," said McPhee.

But to solve those issues you need to first know how big the problem is. It's why McPhee plans to launch his drones across Houston.

"The drone allows us to draw a big circle in the air as we're filming in 4K. It's beautiful footage," said McPhee.

He'll use GPS technology and volunteers on the ground. Together they plan to find and count just how many strays are in the Houston area. Estimates indicate it could be more than a million.

"It's a first step to try and tackle a humongous problem," said Emal.

 

Drones, as low-cost flying machines, make great rescue tools. They can look and go places people can’t--or at least can’t go safely--and with infrared cameras, they can sometimes see beyond what human eyes can. In Houston, the World Animal Awareness Society plans to use them to track stray dogs, combining a drone's utility as a mapping device with its rescue abilities.

However, the project, titled Operation Houston: Stray Dog City,” plans to film not just a stray dog map, but the pilot for a new show. The show started filming on March 20th and will continue filming through the 30th. World Animal Awareness Society is a media nonprofit that's made shows for National Geographic, Animal Planet, and others, though there's no announced broadcast information for Operation Houston yet. As for how the show will be structured, it's billed as a “cross between Pit Bulls & Parolees, Deadliest Catch, and Survivor,” which does not bode terribly well for the pups.

Watch a video of them testing the drone in Detroit below:

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Stray Dogs Show Up at Funeral Home: Attend Funeral of the Woman That Always Fed Them

Margarita Suárez, a humble woman from Mérida, Mexico, did not run a shelter or work with a registered animal organization.  She was not rich and only earned enough money to get by, however, she never hesitated to help animals in need. Suarez fed over 20 stray cats that came to her door every morning, and whenever she went out, she carried food to feed the stray dogs she met on the streets.

At the beginning of March, Suarez relocated to Cuernavaca, Mexico, for health reasons. There, she continued to feed and look after the homeless animals in her community. Sadly, Suarez’s health took a turn for the worse and she passed away. Family, friends and stray dogs attended her funeral.

Patricia Urrutia, Suarez’s daughter, said that on March 15, 2015, stray dogs started arriving at the funeral home early in the morning. At first she thought they were area dogs welcomed at the funeral home, but then she noticed the animals were entering the room where her mother’s body was resting. Urrutia asked workers if they knew the dogs and everyone said they had never seen them before.

When Suarez’s body was moved to the church, the dogs followed behind the funeral car, and when the body returned to the funeral home, so did the dogs.

Urrutia believes the stray dogs were some of the pets her mother fed and they came to show their respect. The dogs were respectful and some even played with funeral attendees. The pets only left once Suarez’s body was prepared for cremation.

Family members cannot explain how the dogs knew where they could find Suarez, but they were happy to see the dogs Suarez cared so much for, also loved her.

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Heartwarming Story: Dog in Chili Saves Her Nine Puppies From Forest Fire, by Hiding Them in a Hole She Dug

Valparaiso, Chili - A dog, desperately dug a hole to allow her 9-week-old puppies to take shelter beneath a metal container.

As firefighters battled the flames, residents told them they had seen a dog leading the puppies away from the blaze and then bury them under a metal container to protect them from the flames.

The rescuers went in search of the animals and soon found all nine puppies alive and well.

At least one person was killed and thousands more evacuated as the fire spread and was fanned by strong winds.

Officials said they would bring charges against the owner of an illegal landfill site, where the fire is believed to have started.

More than 500 Hectares (1235.526905 Acres) were burned since the blaze started, and at least 19 firefighters have been injured, five of them seriously.

Forest fires are common in Chile at this time of year, and have been particularly savage this year after a hot, dry summer.

In 2014, a fire in Valparaiso killed 13 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.

Footage shows volunteers digging frantically and rescuing the tiny pups from underneath the metal container where they had been hidden.



Chile evacuates thousands as fire threatens Valparaiso

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Man in China Kicks Stray Dog for Lying in His Parking Space: Dog Returns with Friends and Proceeds to Exact Revenge by Chewing the Bodywork Including the Windshield Wipers

Chongqing, China - A man drove up to find a stray dog in his favorite parking space. When the dog wouldn't move…he kicked him.

Later that day, the dog returned with some friends and proceeded to exact revenge by chewing the bodywork including the windshield wipers!

The vandalism was photographed by a startled neighbor, who showed the driver the photos the next morning.

Stray dogs in China are sometimes grabbed off the street and thrown into dog fights.

China has no animal cruelty laws, and a person who damages a dog or another animal can only be prosecuted for damaging property if the animal belongs to somebody.

China is home to roughly 130million dogs, many of them pampered pets. As the middle class expands, rising numbers of pet owners has resulted in increased opposition to animal cruelty.

Despite this, many stray dogs are still killed and there is scant legislation protecting animals’ rights.

He apparently never heard the saying…Let sleeping dogs lie.

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Woman Sleeps in Freezing NYC Park to Save Senior Feral Dog

A very dedicated woman spent two freezing cold nights sleeping in a cardboard box in a New York City Park in an effort to gain the trust of a 10-year-old wild dog named Charlie, or Ricky, depending on who you ask.  Her devotion, along with that of many other concerned neighbors, paid off, and now he is warm and receiving the medical care and love he needs.

Denise Lauffer is a dog walker who has adopted three feral dogs and a stray since she moved to the Washington Heights area in 1994.  For the last several years, she’s been leaving food out for Charlie, a dog born within a pack of wild dogs that freely roamed Highbridge Park.

To read more on this story, click here: Woman Sleeps in Freezing NYC Park to Save Senior Feral Dog FOLLOW US!

Stray Senior Dog In Danger At Sanitation Plant Gets Heartwarming Rescue

A senior dog smelt like a sewer and looked even worse when Hope for Paws came to rescue him at a water treatment facility in Los Angeles.

A sanitation plant is an extremely dangerous place for an animal or a human, and the rescue was especially called in to help the dog and given special clearance to do so. When you first see him, he is so dejected and defeated. That’s why it’s so amazing to see a smile come back to his face just from getting a bath and some TLC!





Things are looking up for Mufasa (now renamed Goji). He’s about 8 years old and is currently in foster care with Lionel’s Legacy, a senior dog rescue.

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Vending Machines Encourage Recycling, Feed Stray Animals in Istanbul - The Bottle-Powered Dispensers Dish Out Pet Food Every Time Someone Places a Plastic Bottle Inside the Machine

Istanbul is Turkey’s largest city with a population of 14 million, but it also has one of the world’s largest stray animal populations at around 150,000. Instead of overlooking the problem as is all too common, the Turkish company Pugedon has struck a deal with the government to place food dispensaries around the city. Not only do these provide food and water, but they also help to promote recycling.

The bottle-powered dispensers dish out pet food every time someone places a plastic bottle inside the machine. It also has a container where you can pour the remainder of your water to make sure stray cats and dogs also have something to drink. Apart from keeping the urban animals alive, the vending machine also makes people stop and think about their plight and could perhaps be enough to make some consider adopting an animal to help deal with the problem.

As far as solutions go, this one is a much more humane option when you consider those that have occurred before. In 2012, the government drafted a law that allowed city dogs to be sent to “wildlife parks” on city outskirts. This outraged animal rights activists who referenced a brutal act of animal cruelty in 1910 when the city’s stray dogs were sent to an island and forced to eat each other for survival.

While the solution is a good one, it’s worth noting that it only targets the symptoms of the stray animal problem. Animal smuggling, illegal pet shops, and the desire to have the latest “fashionable” animal are all factors. As pointed out on BigThink by Ahmet Senpolat, an Istanbul-based animal rights lawyer:

Animal smugglers only face a fine of a few hundred euros at worst, they continue to bring expensive pure-bred puppies and sell them to pet stores. People often buy the puppies from pet stores, and abandon them when they become too tough to handle.

Facing up to problems is harder because it usually requires doing something about them, but it’s still a better option than ignoring them altogether.

Plastic for pet food is a better option than sending dogs to isolated islands.

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