Thank you to our friends at Sunbear Squad for teaching us how to be good Samaritans for animals.

Watch Tip Week of Nov. 15:

Watch for collars, chains, dog houses, and kennels that are too short or small for growing puppies. Call the authorities!

Below is a story sent to Sunbear Squad showing the importance of this week’s tip.

Who needs to spend good money on a dog collar when you have a piece of barbed-wire?

A reader sent me a story last week about a Great Dane female rescued with a barbed-wire collar embedded in her neck. A “backyard” breeder in Portage, Wisconsin kept her in an old garage. The breeder didn’t need a real collar because he never let her out of that garage. He wrapped her neck in barbed wire when she was young. She grew up into an adult and that collar grew into her like a wire grows into a tree trunk. She was bred, and she and her puppies lived amid feces and urine, never seeing the sun or smelling the clean wind. After her puppies were sold one by one, she lived alone in that dark, putrid hell with open, infected wounds on her neck caused by that too-small barbed-wire collar. Surgery was required to get the wire and cruel barbs out of her living neck tissues. Thankfully she is now cherished in a loving home. But she will always have scars and sensitive spots around her neck.

Please WATCH and LISTEN for the hidden victims of cruelty like this poor mama dog. Always be alert. In this case, neighbors might have heard loud barking from that garage when vehicles approached the house, or perhaps heard puppies yelping in play from time to time. Odors of feces and urine may have carried into the neighborhood when the wind was right. Neighbors may have even spotted someone carrying a stinky puppy or two from the garage into the house to wash before a showing.

What do you think are reasonable standards of care for animals? Read our all-original “Bill of Rights for Pets” for a new perspective.

-Anna Nirva, Founder Sunbear Squd-

This week’s tip from Sunbear Squad is a must read for all dog lovers.  We must teach others to stop thinking of their dogs as disposable objects, something to be thrown out with the trash when no longer needed or wanted.

Week of Nov. 8:

Watch for pets that are banished from the house before new carpet or furniture arrives for the holidays; they will be wandering and hungry. Call the authorities.

Imagine caring more about furniture than heartbeats.

You “get” this, or you would not be reading any further. It’s horrifying but true. Some people will bring their dogs and cats to a shelter because of remodeling, new furniture, new carpet, new wardrobes. Is this hard to imagine? Ask anyone who works at a shelter or rescue. The stories will inflame you.

Some major metropolitan shelters in America euthanize more than 80% of their dogs and cats every week because they don’t have enough adopters. So a family who drops off a dog or cat at a shelter, believing the pet will find a new home? Sweet, loving dogs and cats? Entire litters? They are dreaming. They are absolutely delusional. That drop off, that hopeful thought of a new home, is a death sentence. WAKE UP AMERICA.

How can we change this cycle of too many dogs and cats, too many people dropping them off at the shelter to “find a new home” in the trash? That’s where their cold bodies go. In the trash. Are you shocked?

Last week, the “No More Homeless Pets” conference closed in Las Vegas. It was a clarion call to CHANGE. Please encourage people to adopt. Please spay and neuter your companion animals. Hearts are beating!!!

-Anna Nirva, Founder Sunbear Squad-

This week’s Sunbear Squad tip is especially important due to the high number of foreclosures and people abandoning their houses, and unfortunately, sometimes their pets.

Watch Tip of the Week Nov. 1:

Listen for pets trapped inside while households travel during the winter. Check garages and sheds. Accidents happen!

Here’s more info on Sunbear from founder of  Sunbear Squad, Anna Nirva. Please exercise more awareness with the traveling months coming. Remember Sunbear’s story. He was accidentally trapped when his owner traveled for work. His owner thought that he had found a new home for Sunbear, but communication broke down. Sunbear waited for 6 weeks in a townhouse laundry room with a bag of food outside the door. His new family never came. His owner never checked to make sure than Sunbear was picked up by his new family as planned.

Do you know of moving or traveling households? This is extremely high risk for companion animals. Some families intentionally abandon their animals, but banks don’t know and don’t inspect the property for weeks. Some families think that arrangements are made for care, but miscommunication can cause days or even weeks of starvation and dehydration.

If you live in a neighborhood with many foreclosed-upon properties, check on those homes, every one. Call out near windows and doors. Do you hear cats or dogs call back?

Please remember that you may save a life. Thank you for all you do to help companion animals in distress!

Please forward this email to animal-lovers. Encourage them to become animal welfare defenders!

Copyright Sunbear Squad Inc. All rights reserved but you may reuse for educational purposes freely.

Ponder Cove is a very nice dog friendly B&B located in Asheville, NC.  Martha, the owner, has a few dogs and one of them happens to be a hunting dog that showed up at her door after being abandoned in the woods. This week’s tip is definitely something to keep in mind if you live in a rural area.

Watch Tip Week of Oct. 25:

Watch and listen for stray hunting dogs in rural areas during the hunting season, where some are coldly abandoned for poor performance.

Here’s another story about a few abandoned hunting hounds,  it was submitted  by a reader of  Sunbear Squad.

An ice storm was bearing down in the southern United States and a pack of 3 adult Beagles and 5 puppies were sighted in a rural Arkansas forest. Concerned animal lovers sent numerous emails to locate a rescuer who could take immediate action to save the dogs, and two compassionate women rose to the challenge.

It’s not like they didn’t have anything else to do that day. Desiree had successfully lobbied for felony animal cruelty laws and had just been informed of the law’s passing, and Carol worked full-time. But later in the afternoon, after learning of the ice storm coming, they gathered their gear and drove 45 miles to the woods where the dogs had been sighted.

And they found the dogs waiting near a plastic tarp tent and food that a caring Good Samaritan had fixed up for them. That’s not all they found…shotgun shells littering the ground near the dogs were a testament to cruel hunters who were shooting at the abandoned dogs.

Carol and Desiree managed to load all eight Beagles into their vehicle and drive them back to town, where Little Rock Animal Village and Care for Animals, two animal rescues, immediately took them into their adoption programs. Thanks to these kind people, the Beagles had warm shelter, food, and affection that cold, stormy night and beyond. Bless their brave hearts.

Abandoned hunting dogs perish daily of exposure and starvation all across America. Please help them whenever you can. You’ll be in good company. Thank you Desiree and Carol!

Read more rescue stories, click here.

Thanks to our friends at Sunbear Squad for another great tip this week.

Watch Tip Week of Oct. 11:

Watch and listen for signs of torture of cats or dogs by misguided teenage boys (or girls) with nothing to do after school, or gang initiations that require animal abuse.

Every week you receive a Watch Tip to help you be more aware of risks to companion animals in your own neighborhood or region. Take some time today to review the overview of risk factors on Sunbear Squad, so you can be more confident and ready to act to help an animal in distress.

They have no voice. Be that voice. You may save a life.

Become a Facebook fan today!

Thanks to our friends at Sunbear Squad for this week’s great tip.

Watch Tip Week of Oct. 4:

As you drive your regular routes, watch for signs of dogs tied out in fields and forests, without human habitation nearby, often without shelter. They are neglected and need help.

For those that ordered a Neighborhood Watch Kit a ‘Wallet Card’ was included. Take a few minutes to make sure that it is up to date and complete.  You can also make them for your friends and family, it’s easy, just download a wallet card form.

If you have any questions about which authority can accept animal calls, make inquiries now of the authorities so you can act in confidence.

Become a fan of Sunbear Squad on Facebook, spread the word.

Have you ever wondered what the animal welfare laws are in your state?  The Michigan State University College of Law: Animal Legal & Historical Web Center has a great site where you can access this information.

On the left side of the page, find the “Select by State” menus, and choose your state in the “US Law” submenu. A new page will display. Read the “Statute Name” and to find “Consolidated Cruelty Statutes” and click on the “Citation” link, where you will find actual texts.

Watch Tip Week of Sept. 27

Watch for spring’s puppies and kittens now banished to the back yard—do they have shelter, food and water? Talk with the owners or the authorities.

This website is truly an invaluable source of information, it covers everything from assistance animal laws to veterinary practice laws. Thanks to our friends at Sunbear Squad for letting us know about the Animal Legal & Historical Web Center.

Sunbear Squad  shares another great tip this week along with some advice on what to look for so you’ll know when you should step in to help.

Watch Tip Week of Sept. 20:

Watch for pets without fresh water—warm breezy fall days cause dehydration. Pets without shade are more vulnerable to heat stroke.

Do you wonder about when to act?

If you see a companion animal acting oddly or looking a bit strange, you might wonder if you should do something to help. To mentally evaluate the situation is completely normal and expected. Gene Fields, the animal control officer who was Sunbear’s champion and brought his owner to justice, has recommendations for you. It’s a short list of tips, click here. There’s also some good information about heat stroke.

Please forward this information to animal-lovers. Encourage them to become animal welfare defenders!

Copyright Sunbear Squad Inc. All rights reserved

Another great tip from our friends at Sunbear Squad,  along with how to make a Roadside Kit  so you’ll be prepared for an emergency.

Watch Tip Week of Sept. 13:

Watch for pets along rural highways that have been injured by farm machinery during the harvest season—be prepared to act quickly.

Here’s some info from founder, Anna Nirva, on the importance of being prepared to act quickly with your Roadside Rescue Kit.

The father of a friend of mine just lost his beloved 8-month-old dog tragically. The Blue Heeler mix puppy scampered in front of a moving farm wagon. Quick as a blink Daisy was dead. Vehicles of all kinds are extremely high risk to companion animals as well as wild animals. Daisy could not have been saved, but many animal-vehicle collisions are not fatal. Muddy Puppy and Duke each survived one, read their stories.

Make a Roadside Rescue Kit for your vehicle and be prepared to help animals along roads and highways. The kit uses many simple items that you keep around the house. You may save a life! Find instructions here.

Please forward this email to animal-lovers. Encourage them to become animal welfare defenders!

Copyright Sunbear Squad Inc. All rights reserved.

Lisa and I take the dogs to the park on a regular basis and without fail they end up covered in those nasty little burrs that Sunbear Squad is warning about in this week’s tip. As soon as we get home we know it’s important to brush them out because they will try to pick them out with their mouth.

Watch Tip Week of Sept. 6:
Watch for pets that have matted fur from stickers and burdock-they may get infections in their mouths from attempts to clean their fur because the tiny barbs become embedded in the mouth tissues.

Anna Nirva, the founder of Sunbear Squad, shares a little insight into what working in rescue has done to change her life.  Thank you Anna for all the selfless hours you put into rescue and the wonderful work you do.

Sometimes The Rescue Happens Within You

I look at my left wrist. My aging skin is criss-crossed with several long striped scars about a half-inch apart. I roll up my sleeve two inches. I see the scar of a single puncture wound. I twist the same hand and see two more puncture scars between my thumb and forefinger. These silently manifest my true calling during business meetings as I pass paperwork to customers, but thankfully nobody asks me about them. If they asked, I might cry.

I was rescued a long time ago from a lifetime of meaninglessness, uselessness, waste. My rescuers have four legs, and some of them are dead now. My most important rescuer, Sunbear, lived a half of a nation away. He died before I even knew of his name. When I saw his picture on the HSUS web site, as his sad yellow eyes reached through the years and the miles directly into my heart, my future unfolded in front of me all at once. Sunbear Squad.

You have been rescued too, or you would not have joined us. I would love to share your story sometime about how it happened to you. Please write.

-Anna-