Woman Climbs Down in Manhole and Stays Until Authorities Come to Rescue Her Pet Pig

Latoria Middleton of Atlanta has raised and loved her pet pig since he was just a week old. From just a tiny, bottle-fed piglet to a full-grown hog that loves Reese’s Pieces, Rick Ross has lived with her happily inside her home.

But last week, the curious pig got loose. Middleton was heartbroken, and frantically set out to look for her pet. Luckily, her dog was able to lead her to a manhole, in which her pig was a little shaken up, but otherwise unharmed. Middleton then called authorities for help hoisting the 200-pound piggy out from this deep hole.

To her surprise… no one would come to her rescue. She says that the fire department essentially told her that there was nothing to be done for her pet pig, and that poor Rick Ross’ last days were to be lived down that dark hole.

Totally shocked and appalled by the community’s unwillingness to help out, she climbed down into the hole with her pig and alerted the media to this ridiculous situation. If it were a dog or a cat stuck down there, there’s no chance that the fire department would have left him down there. So why let a pig suffer?

While the fire department claims that they responded right away, it’s clear that there was some sort of injustice to sort out. Whether it was a miscommunication or not, Middleton is just happy that her attention-grabbing stunt finally got her baby to safety.

URGENT! Foster Homes Needed in Washington, DC Metro Area for Group of Adorable Abandoned Dogs

Sharing from: Caring Hearts Rescue

Caring Hearts Rescue has just been asked to help a group of 15 Shih Tzus whose owner fled and abandoned them in a rented house. Although the dogs are being fed temporarily by the landlord, they are in urgent need of being rescued. The group includes a mama who recently had puppies so it's even more urgent that they be rescued as soon as possible. Caring Hearts will take as many of the dogs as we can but the number will depend on how many fosters we have who are willing to take one or more of these pups. The dogs will be arriving on Sunday, December 27 and will be ready to go to their foster homes some time in the evening after they have been bathed, groomed, and have received medical attention. If you can help foster, please email us at fosterchr@caringheartsrescue.org. If you can't foster but want to help, we desperately need donations to pay for their medical care. To donate towards their care, please go to http://www.caringheartsrescue.org/#!money-donations/c1iuw

Thank you in advance for helping us help these poor pups!

  

UPDATE

OPERATION HOLIDAY ANGELS UPDATE: So many of you have asked for an update. Thank you so much for caring and sharing!

We have 11 males and three females. They have all been cleaned up (with multiple baths to remove the stench), shaved down, and named, and we are now in the process of vetting. This is Angel Liam in one of our volunteer's arms waiting for the vet. Probably the FIRST TIME EVER being hugged and loved by a human. Liam is about 1 1/2 years old and was probably used to breed. This is likely also his first time to a vet. Liam did very well and received all the necessary vaccines and shots, and we are now awaiting results of medical tests.

Please click here to donate for these angels: http://www.caringheartsrescue.org/#!money-donations/c1iuw

For Updates, please follow Caring Hearts Rescue on Facebook. 

Please share, and remember no donation is too small. Thanking you in advance from Caring Hearts Rescue, and The Pet Tree House.

Not Pet Related - I Want to Share: Amazon to Customers: Throw Your Hoverboard Away

While this post is not related to pets/animals, I wanted to share in case some of my readers missed this message from Amazon.

Companies rarely advocate for the destruction of their products, but given that some of Amazon’s hoverboards are spontaneously combusting (and destroying themselves), all bets are off. Now, after already pulling the product from both United States and United Kingdom sites earlier this week, Amazon is telling customers to throw away unsafe hoverboards.

“We regret the inconvenience this may cause you but trust you will understand that your safety and satisfaction is our highest priority,” Amazon wrote in an email to customers. Those with boards featuring “non-compliant U.K. plugs” should proceed immediately to a certified recycling center, and will be refunded for their purchase within three days.

Despite the initial popularity of the gadgets (especially with the upcoming holiday season), a closer inspection of the futuristic devices made it clear that there were some very serious safety hazards associated with their use. Earlier this month, the U.K.’s Trading Standards seized 15,000 unsafe hoverboards after the London Fire Brigade reported three house fires within 10 days, all traced back to those trendy wheels.

To read more on this story, click here: Amazon to Customers: Throw Your Hoverboard Away

Sunny, The Youngest of the First Family’s Two Dogs, Sometimes Sneaks Out of the Kitchen and Poops at the Other End of the White House

Bo Obama is a perfectly well-behaved Portuguese Water Dog. He’s had top notch breeding and training. In fact, his professional trainer said that Bo was an attentive student who never had an accident. He’s certainly a presidential pup. Sunny Obama, Bo’s furry sister, is a bit of a punk.

First Lady Michelle Obama admitted that Sunny, the younger of the First Family’s two dogs, can be a little naughty. The pup will sometimes sneak out of the kitchen and go poop at the other end of the White House. Sunny didn’t get the expert training that Bo did, apparently, and she wasn’t potty trained when the Obama family got her in 2013.

Sunny has a history of rowdy behavior. She once knocked over a toddler at a White House holiday event, though she apologized by licking the little one’s face. It’s nice to know that her high status in society hasn’t affected Sunny’s ability to throw decorum to the wind. Even the President has to deal with dogs pooping in the house.

  

The Ugly Truth About Horse Racing

There are essentially three types of people in horse racing. There are the crooks who dangerously drug or otherwise abuse their horses, or who countenance such conduct from their agents, and who then dare the industry to come catch them. Then there are the dupes who labor under the fantasy that the sport is broadly fair and honest. And there are those masses in the middle—neither naive nor cheaters but rather honorable souls—who know the industry is more crooked than it ought to be but who still don't do all they can to fix the problem.

The first category, the cheaters, are a small, feral minority still large enough to stain the integrity of the sport for everyone else. The second category, the innocents, also a small group, are more or less hopeless—if they haven't figured out by now they are being wronged they likely never will. So it is from the third category of horsemen and horsewomen, the far-too-silent majority, the good people who see wrong but won't give their all to right it, where serious reform must come if the sport is to survive and thrive.

And that's why exposés about the abuse of racehorses, like the one posted last week by Joe Drape in The New York Times, are so important. They don't aim to offer salvation to the unholy or to rouse the ignorant from their slumber. They speak directly instead to the many good and honest people in horse racing whose consciences are still in play. And they say to those respectable people, in essence, "You are fooling only yourself if you think the whole world isn't aware of and repulsed by what nasty business you allow to go on inside your sport."

To read more on this story, click here: The Ugly TruthAbout Horse Racing

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Warns: Pet Turtles Can Carry Salmonella

Little turtles are popular pet substitutes for families whose children are allergic to cats and dogs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), however, warns the public that the animals can cause salmonella

In 2006, health officials recorded the first multistate salmonella outbreak in the US, which included four cases. From that year until 2011, authorities investigated four more outbreaks, which entailed 394 cases. One of the outbreaks was said to have claimed the life of a 3.5-week-old baby, who was exposed to a tiny turtle

Numbers Linking Salmonella Outbreaks and Turtle Exposure

For the current research, the scientists studied eight outbreaks of salmonella related to small turtles from 2011 to 2014. The total number of cases was 473 and it included those from Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

The findings showed that children aged below 18, below 5, and below 1 made up 74 percent, 55 percent, and 23 percent of all cases respectively.

For race and ethnicity, Hispanics made up 45 percent of the cases.

Out of the patients who got infected, 28 percent required hospitalization, which commonly ran for three days.

The results of a turtle exposure questionnaire for 102 cases revealed that 80 percent had turtles at home. Almost two-thirds of the patients in this category had direct exposure to a turtle or in its habitat within the week of symptoms onset. About one-third of infants and children aged below 5 also exhibited the same findings.

How Turtles Are Associated with Salmonella

CDC warned that the bacteria may be present even if it's not seen. Salmonella can be found naturally in the gut of turtles and even if the bacteria are there, the animals do not necessarily exhibit signs and symptoms of infection. Aside from that, turtles do not shed the bacteria all the time hence, even if a turtle tested negative in diagnostic investigations, it does not confirm an infection-free state.

In homes, salmonella may be detected in surfaces and waters that turtle have had contact with. In one of the cases encountered by the researchers, a baby was infected with salmonella because feeding bottles were washed in a sink where a pet turtle habitat was also cleaned.

"All turtles - healthy and sick, big and small - can carry Salmonella," said lead author Dr. Maroya Walters from CDC.

Experts Advise Against Having Turtles as Family Pets

The researchers acknowledged that they were not able to track all turtles for sale because it is often illegally sold in unregulated locations such as street events and flea markets. Despite this, Dr. Elizabeth Barnett, from Boston University School of Medicine who wasn't involved in the study, believed that the authors were able to convey the importance of deviating from the idea of having turtles as pets.

"Turtles and other reptiles shouldn't be kept at home or school or any other facilities where there are children under the age of 5," said Walters.

Government Ban on Pet Turtles

Since the 1970s, the U.S. government has banned selling turtles with shells that measure less than 4 inches. Although the ban and risks information were widely advocated, salmonella outbreaks continued to increase.