Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, October 15, 2016

MVNews this week:  Page A:11

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JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS

Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 15, 2016 


MATTHEW’S WORST 
BRINGS OUT 

MANKIND’S BEST

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc

When disaster strikes, it can be devastating for those 
who fall victim to it’s destruction. But more often 
than not, it is during times when nature reminds us 
who’s the real boss of this planet, that caring people 
come together and unite to lend a helping hand. 
The events that unfolded before, during and after 
last week’s hurricane Matthew could not be a better 
example of human inspiration made manifest by the 
unity of many.

 Countless news headlines captured the details of what 
occurred along the southern Atlantic coast last week, 
most of which were sure to instill a sense of helplessness 
for those watching. But, thankfully there were a lot of 
news casts that also covered the courageous acts of folks 
who chose to take action rather than sit by helplessly 
and watch the storm take it‘s toll.

 Among the many individuals and groups involved 
in performing random acts of kindness during last 
week’s natural disaster were the Washington Humane 
Society and Washington Animal Rescue League out 
of D.C. Their good work ensured that many animals 
would escape the torrents of Matthew before it was too 
late. They had the foresight to recognize the hurricane 
was expected to pose an enormous threat to sheltered 
animals in coastal South Carolina.

 Concerned for the welfare of those animals, they 
gathered their troops of volunteers and partners and 
immediately lept into action. With little time for 
planning or preparation, they launched a team effort 
that succeeded in relocating several animals from local 
shelters in the D.C. area to temporary safe housing to 
make room for the animals that would be evacuated 
from South Carolina’s shelters.

 It was a simple resolution to a potentially tragic 
problem, but it was also a pretty major project requiring 
lots of last-minute time and energy on the part of both 
groups. The bottom line is they got it done and by doing 
so, they saved the lives of many shelter animals that 
would otherwise have been caught in the storm and 
probably perished. Remarkably, the positive results 
were doubled when the news hit the public and more 
adopting families showed interest in the pets that 
survived hurricane Matthew!

 The Washington DC team effort brought great 
relief to the staff at the South Carolina shelters by 
allowing them to focus on evacuating the countless 
trapped or injured animals in the community. With 
limited staff and an overwhelming 
number of animal emergency calls 
coming in, they could at least be 
comforted that the animals being 
kept at their shelter would not have to 
suffer or die.

 Another inspiring story that came 
out in the news was about a bald eagle 
that had to be very skillfully and 
carefully removed from the grille of 
a vehicle in Jacksonville, Florida. The 
poor bird had been thrown into the 
car’s front grille by extremely high 
velocity winds that whipped through 
the area during the hurricane. 

 Fortunately, the driver of the vehicle became aware 
of what had happened and was able to pull over and 
make a call to get help from some brave local raptor 
rescue volunteers. As a memoir to the close call that 
the bald eagle had with an early death, they named 
him “Matthew”, after the storm that nearly took its 
life.

 There were also several reports of rescued pets and 
livestock that had been rendered astray when they 
either fled out of fear, or were sadly left behind by 
the owners who had to flee quickly to save their own 
lives. Hundreds of animals were brought into shelters 
where they could be kept, at least temporarily until 
they were identified by their owners and brought back 
to their own homes, or placed into foster care for later 
adoption.

 One very touching story I read on National 
Geographic.com told of a Facebook post shared by 
Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge in central Florida’s 
Orange County. The rescue organization reported a 
major influx of injured wildlife, including numerous 
infant squirrels, raccoons and various bird species that 
had been abandoned or orphaned during the torrential 
storm. The happy side of the story is that the volunteers 
at hand had the skills to save the lives of those babies and 
give them a second chance at life!

 Hundreds of animals were reported to have been 
rescued from the streets of the affected areas and 
brought to shelters in Florida as well as Georgia, North 
and South Carolina for refuge and tender loving care 
provided by SPCA & Humane Society staff along with 
the helping hands of many animal-loving volunteers 
and the coordination of several rescue groups.

 It is amazing how so many people are willing to come 
together and unite to do what is right when disaster 
strikes and the going gets tough. A disastrous event, 
whether natural or man-made can be a devastating 
experience with a very unhappy outcome.

 But it is in the midst of the tragedy that the human 
spirit can choose to soar and the broken can be 
bolstered by the encouragement of their fellow man. 
In this case, those precious animals were blessed to 
have come into contact with the kind people who 
cared enough to go out of their way, and for some 
even risk their own lives to save them from the storm. 
I can’t think of a much happier tale than that! Love 
and let live.

SCARLET & TARA: Sisters! 
Born April, 2016, Scarlet and 
Tara are absolutely gorgeous, 
and very sweet. Scarlet is the boldly colored calico, and Tara is more of a dilute tortie. Tara is a bit 
more reserved, but nevertheless, very sweet. We will keep them together, as they are very bonded. 
Adopting two qualifies for our Twofur Discount. Two are double the fun for them and you!

Lifeline for Pets is a small no-kill rescue. We show some cats most Sunday afternoons at Petsmart, 
3347 E. Foothill Blvd. in Pasadena, 12:30-3:30. Call 909-561-7700 for a Meet & Greet.

Adoption fee is $100, which includes spay, microchip, exam & vaccine. Our cats are negative FELV/
FIV unless otherwise indicated. 

See adoption info & application on our website, www.lifelineforpets.org. Sorry, we are not accepting 
cats at this time. GOOD NEWS: AUSTIN MEOWERS and KYLIE have been adopted!


LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND?

Hercules is a six-year-old handsome German 
Shepherd mix boy with gorgeous looks that match 
his playful and loving personality. He has a pair of 
charming honey-colored eyes, a 
beautiful light brown coat with 
dark markings on his nose and 
ears. And those ears! They are just 
adorable playful puppy ears that 
bounce up and down.

 Hercules was found lost in a 
parking lot in the city of Rosemead. 
It is unknown how long he had 
been on the streets but he is now 
at the shelter where he is receiving 
care and love until his forever 
family comes along. Although he 
is six-years old, he still has plenty 
of energy in him to walk or jog 
around the park and play with his 
human friends. He likes to play 
with toys but mostly he likes to get 
as many treats as one can give.

 If you would like to show 
Hercules that life can be good in a forever home 
and with a loving family; please stop by to meet our 
mighty Hercules! His adoption fee is $145 which 
includes neuter surgery, vaccinations, microchip and 
a free wellness exam at a participating veterinarian. 
Feel free to call us at (626) 286-
1159 for more information on 
Hercules. He currently resides at 
the San Gabriel Valley Humane 
Society located at 851 E. Grand 
Avenue in San Gabriel which 
is located off San Gabriel Blvd, 
north of Mission and south of Las 
Tunas Drive. To arrange a ‘Meet 
and Greet’ with Hercules, please 
stop by any time from 10:30am to 
4:30pm Tuesday through Sunday.
Website:www.sgvhumane.org.

 Go to smile.amazon.com and 
find the San Gabriel Valley 
Humane Society and every time 
you buy something 0.5% will be 
donated to the shelter! It’s easy 
to do and helps the shelter with 
every purchase you make! Let 
your friends know about this simple way to make a 
difference!


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com