Despite the hardships and challenges of this year, we are so appreciative of the generosity and kindness of our friends and supporters. As many of you know, we have had to cancel most of our fundraising events this year so far, and don’t know what the rest of the year will bring. However, the need remains great for our help of the most forlorn and desperate animals. YOU understand that and opened your hearts—and your wallets—to make this year’s WAEB Radiothon our most successful ever. The final total is $212,533!! Every dollar will be used for rescue costs. We have no words to tell you how much this remarkable outpouring of love and support means to us—especially to our shelter orphans.

• How To Donate
• Click here to see some of the rescues your donation makes possible. These animals would have no hope without Animals in Distress and YOU. Some of the photos may be graphic so please use your judgment. These animals can’t talk in words, but they are so appreciative of our help—and their lives.

Did you ever wonder how someone can take a pet who has lived in their family and just abandon that animal? Unfortunately, we see this happening all too often. The lucky pets who are abandoned get taken in by someone kind. The rest die slowly of disease, injury, and starvation.

Recently, we took in a litter of 6 kittens and their mother. The kittens were still nursing and not yet weaned or able to survive on their own. This little family was wrapped up in a box that was taped shut, like a tomb. The box was placed on the property of a church. Noone is usually at the church during the week and the box would have gone undetected for several days IF something miraculous hadn’t happened.

One of the most inspiring aspects of our work is watching animals who have suffered so much as they regain their health and start to heal. They are so brave, so determined, to make the most of the chance we have given them. For many of them, Animals in Distress is the first place they have felt safe and loved.

When we rescue an animal is very bad physical shape, we have no idea what to expect. One such case involves a recent rescue of a cat we named Hannah. Hannah had been scrounging for her food as part of what was supposed to be a feral colony. Like most outside cats, she was subject to various dangers, from cruel people, to aggressive animals, to inclement weather, to car and other accidents: the list goes on and on. One day, Hannah didn’t appear to be doing well. The woman who was feeding her colony grew increasingly concerned over several days as Hannah got weaker and weaker until finally the poor cat could not move. Hannah laid on the woman’s patio, in effect dying slowly.

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We got a call about a dog whose owner was going to have to euthanize her because he couldn’t afford to board her any longer. She is a black pitbull mix, so it was difficult to find anyone willing to take her. She was full of scars, recent and not so recent, and was not a cute puppy or adorable marketable type. Here is her story.

Midnight was first found in a Philadelphia animal control facility which is notoriously over capacity. Their appeals for someone to save the dogs on the euthanasia list have flooded the internet for a very long time. And someone decided to send a friend to Philly to save Midnight from death.

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Often, the animals we help arrive in horrible condition. Some are literally closer to death than life. A very recent example is a 5 month old shihtzu mix puppy who came in with an ugly, infected, tumor of some kind in her umbilical area. She was running a temperature, hadn’t gone to the bathroom in 3 days, and had stopped eating. Her owners said they could not afford vet care but didn’t want to see her dying slowly and in horrible pain.

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Several years ago, we were asked to take in a dog who had been badly abused. The poor dog had been bought as a puppy and was beaten and kicked by people who should never have
had a puppy in the first place. Finally, a nice woman convinced the abusers to let her have the dog. She named him Peluche, meaning fuzzy bear in her language. Years went by, and Peluche was doing well. Then, the woman’s husband decided to return to his native country, leaving his wife and special needs son (and Peluche) to fend for themselves. Despite her best efforts, the woman could not afford the rent they were paying and had to move. Sadly, she could not find a place she could afford where Peluche would be welcome.

She contacted several shelters and rescues, but none would help. Peluche was around 7 years old and had some memories of his past abuse. He would need special consideration in handling and placement.

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Sassy was found collapsed in a driveway, starved, dehydrated, full of parasites, with large masses growing under her eye and on her lips and mouth.

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Scout came to us 4 years ago. He had two large masses on his abdomen/chest area, and his owners did not wish to get him medical help. After all, they said, he was 10 years old—why spend money on an old dog? The irony was that Scout seemed quite happy and active, doing well otherwise for a 10 year old dog. When Scout came to us, he seemed in decent shape except for those masses. So we had the mass-es removed and basic medical tests done. Cancer was suspected so we had him evaluated by an oncologist. Amazing news!! He had an underactive thyroid gland (like many of us humans) and just needed a pill to bring his thyroid level up to the right level. So many health issues are treatable. Just because an animal (or person) is a senior does not justify giving up on them. And that certainly was the case with Scout.

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