Texas Tornado: How to Help Animal Victims

(EMERGENCY ANIMAL RESCUE) TEXAS — On Sunday, a tornado struck Van, a town in eastern Texas, killing two people and injuring 43. This disaster not only resulted in human casualties, but it also destroyed a large percentage of the land, flattened homes, and led to flooding.

Efforts to recover the tornado victims have been ongoing. Texas Game Wardens from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, along with their K-9s are actively searching the Van area for people and pets who may be stuck under debris or in need of care.

Game Warden John Thorne recently stated:

“It’s very deliberate work in the sense that we’re trying to clear each and every one of these brush piles. There could be a victim in here that we wouldn’t be able to detect without the use of one of these dogs.”

Although search-and-rescue dogs are critical in helping people affected by the tornado, efforts have also been made to rescue animals who were tornado victims. While some families evacuated the area with their beloved pets, other pets were separated from their guardians in the midst of the disaster.

To read more on this story, click here: Texas Tornado:How to Help Animal Victims

Adopt a Golden Organization: Now Accepting Adoption Applications for 36 Golden Retrievers from Turkey Rescue

Dozens of abandoned golden retrievers are adjusting to their new lives in metro Atlanta after a rescue took place in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Adopt a Golden organization helped bring 36 purebred golden retrievers to Alpharetta, Georgia last weekend. This is being called the largest international golden rescue ever.

The dogs arrived at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport late Saturday night. They were taken to Pet Lodge pet resort.

According to Adopt a Golden, the dogs range from 6 months to 10-years-old.

“Our guiding motto is that we never say no to a Golden Retriever in need. These dogs are in need because the novelty of having a Golden Retriever in Istanbul, Turkey, as a status symbol wore off, they were abandoned and are now living in crowded shelters, in the forests or in the streets,” explained Lauren Genkinger, founder and president of Adopt a Golden Atlanta, Adopt a Golden is calling these dogs “Freedom Goldens.” Each dog has been given a patriotic name, such as “Liberty” and “Glory.”

“I want these Golden Retrievers to be happy and have a better life,” explained Yasemin Baban, the lead shelter volunteer in Istanbul who was instrumental in helping Adopt a Golden Atlanta rescue the dogs. “I want them to find love and affection, a home to live in, and a cushion to sleep on,” she added.

The dogs have never heard English and have their own interpreter in Fulton County. The only commands they know, if any, are in Turkish.

"From a behavior standpoint, we didn't really know what we were getting in to," Genkinger told FOX 5 Atlanta. "They're very social though, since they're used to begging for food on the streets."

The dogs will be medically screened, taught to walk on a leash, be housebroken and of course will receive lots of TLC.

Adopt a Golden is now accepting applications for adoption.

Facing the Threat of Imminent Death: Johnny Depp's Dogs Were Being Prepared to be Taken from Australia to the United States

Facing the threat of imminent death, Johnny Depp's dogs, Pistol and Boo, were being prepared to be taken from Australia to the United States after Australia's agriculture minister angrily accused the Hollywood actor of sneaking the pups into the country.

Barnaby Joyce said he was told the Yorkshire terriers were expected to return to the U.S. Friday aboard a private jet, after the government ordered the actor to get his dogs out of Australia by Saturday, saying they would be euthanized if Depp didn't comply.

The canine chaos erupted after Joyce accused Depp of smuggling the dogs in aboard his private jet when he returned to Australia on April 21 to resume filming of the fifth installment in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie series at Gold Coast studios.

Australia has strict quarantine regulations to keep diseases such as rabies from spreading to its shores. Bringing pets into the country involves applying for a permit and a quarantine period on arrival of at least 10 days.

The department is investigating how the pets were brought through Brisbane Airport without an import permit.

The Agriculture Department told Depp, 51, and his 29-year-old wife Amber Heard on Wednesday they had to send Pistol and Boo back to the United States within 72 hours.

In Australia, Joyce's tough stance attracted both commendation and criticism, with some praising the minister for defending the nation's laws, and others cringing over what they viewed as his crass response.

The agriculture department discovered that Depp snuck the dogs into Australia after hearing that a handler had taken the terriers to a Gold Coast dog groomer on Saturday, Joyce said. A biosecurity officer found the dogs at a Gold Coast house on Wednesday.

10 Foot Alligator Spotted in Goose Creek South Carolina Still on the Loose

Two young kids in are captivated by their unusual new neighbor, a 10-foot alligator.

The alligator first took up residence in Sonya Gilreath's bushes Thursday morning.

"It didn't look very big to me," she said, adding that it seemed like it could have been a baby alligator.

Police responded, Gilreath said, and as the gator laid still, she and her 2-year-old and 3-year-old sat on the front porch "just watching it."

"All of a sudden, it stood up, and I realized how gigantic it was," she said. "I've never seen one this size before. Not loose."

That's when Gilreath took her excited kids inside and snapped the adorable photos from her kids' perspective.

"They thought it was really cool," she said.

The gator was 10 feet long, according to ABC affiliate WCIV, and taken by local police back into the water. The Department of Natural Resources was notified but did not intervene, WCIV said.

"There's a pond in front of our house and I watched the alligator escort himself into that pond," Gilreath said. "And the animal control and policemen left."

She said she called the Department of Natural Resources, which told her it wouldn't remove the gator from a residential area, instead calling it the homeowner association's responsibility.

"It's still in the pond and I really want it gone," Gilreath said, adding that the homeowner association is looking into the issue. "It is really scary having an animal that size... We probably have about 10 kids on the street that walk to the school bus."

Even though the gator is still on the loose, Gilreath's children are still talking about it today, she said, adding that they definitely seemed more excited than afraid.

"I was trying to keep them from being scared," she said. "I don't want to put fear in them where they're afraid to go outside."

The Goose Creek Police Department wrote on Facebook, "If you see an alligator in your neighborhood, don't approach or attempt to handle them on your own. Our animal control officers will respond and determine the best course of action in these situations."