“Scared but Friendly” Arrivals Settling in; Shelter Teams Plan Adoptions before Thanksgiving

BOSTON and Salem, Mass., Nov. 4, 2021 – Ten dogs rescued from a massive animal cruelty case in Arkansas are now safe after teams from the MSPCA-Angell and Northeast Animal Shelter (NEAS) drove to Tennessee on Monday, Nov. 1, loaded them into a van and drove them to the Bay State, where they arrived yesterday.

The new arrivals are among 280 dogs and 100 cats found living in deplorable conditions at the Humane Society of the Delta in Helena, Arkansas, which was shut down by state officials last week following a police raid that uncovered dead and emaciated dogs, a huge rat infestation, and mountains of trash.  The shelter’s director is facing hundreds of animal cruelty charges.

Coalition Effort to Save “Scared, Skinny but Friendly” Dogs

The 10 dogs taken in by the MSPCA and NEAS are Pit Bulls aged from three to six years, and appear to be healthy overall.  They, along with hundreds of others, were first evacuated from the Arkansas shelter on Oct. 23 and taken to the Animal Rescue Corps in Tennessee.

A coalition of regional animal welfare organizations then worked together to save the animals, including the Humane Society of Tulsa, Cabot Animal Services in Cabot, Arkansas, the Nashville Humane Society, Arkansas Pet Savers, and the Humane Society of Independence County in Batesville, Arkansas.  Moreover, the BISSELL Pet Foundation provided logistics support as well as funding and emergency grants for some animals who required surgery and heartworm treatment.

Mike Keiley, director of adoption centers and programs for both NEAS and the MSPCA-Angell, says the teams arrived just in time.

“These dogs absolutely needed a safe place to land as soon as they were out of the Arkansas shelter, and I’m grateful to the other humane organizations who assisted with the rescue and relocation efforts,” he said.

“The 10 dogs in our care are quite friendly and social despite all they’ve gone through, but given the trauma they’ve endured, we’ll need ‘hero’ adopters willing to work patiently with them to help them adapt to their home lives,” added Keiley.

HERO Adopters Needed!

The dogs will serve out their mandatory 48-hour quarantine at NEAS’ Salem facility before some will be moved to the MSPCA at Nevins Farm in Methuen and the MSPCA-Cape Cod in Centerville.  The dogs will be available for adoption the week of Nov. 8, and anyone interested in adopting can visit neas.org/adopt for more information, or to apply.

Support the Animals!

The new arrivals are just some of the thousands of animals the MSPCA will care for in 2021 alone—both inside and outside its adoption centers.  Readers who would like to offset the cost of their care—and the care of animals just like them—can click www.neas.org/arkansasdogs to make a donation.

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Three survivors, “Giblet,” “Biscuit,” and “Hermes” to be Available for Adoption in Massachusetts

BOSTON and Salem, Mass., August 6, 2021 — Twenty dogs from coalition animal shelters in South Carolina were safely transported from the Charleston Animal Society to the Northeast Animal Shelter (NEAS) headquarters in Salem, Mass. earlier this week, in the wake of the largest ever animal cruelty case in South Carolina, the MSPCA-Angell and NEAS announced today.

Three of those dogs, Beagles Giblet and Biscuit, and Hound-mix Hermes, were seized along with more than 400 animals from a South Carolina property on July 16^th, and will undergo medical treatment before they are placed into new homes.

The 17 other dogs, not tied to the cruelty case, were transported from Charleston Animal Society to make room for new arrivals, and will be available for adoption in due course.

Found emaciated and with no access to food or water, and living in enclosures filled with their own waste, Giblet, Biscuit and Hermes are lucky to be alive. But thanks to NEAS’ newly formed relocation partnership with Charleston Animal Society, the pups will get the medical care they need.

Mike Keiley, director of adoption centers and programs at the MSPCA-Angell and interim executive director at NEAS, said the recently formed partnership between NEAS and the MSPCA, and Charleston Animal Society, was put into place for situations just like this one.

“Earlier this year, the MSPCA-Angell and Northeast Animal Shelter announced an affiliation that will allow the two organizations to work together to help even more animals both locally and nationally,” said Keiley.

“To accomplish that, we’ve been working hard to expand our already robust animal relocation program by forming new partnerships with organizations — like Charleston Animal Society— to work together to increase life-saving in areas where the need is great. When we heard about this heartbreaking situation, and the dogs’ medical needs,  we knew we’d be able to provide that care given the MSPCA-Angell’s medical capacity, so we stepped up to help .”

Since its inception in June, nearly 100 animals have been transported from South Carolina to Massachusetts.

The Road to Recovery… and Adoption!

Routine health exams revealed that both Biscuit and Giblet are suffering from severe dental disease, including a painful abscess in Giblet’s mouth that needs immediate removal. Both dogs were transported to the MSPCA at Nevins Farm where they will undergo dental surgery and — after a short recovery — be made available for adoption.

A mass was also discovered on Hermes’ foreleg, which will be removed and biopsied today at the time of his neuter surgery. Hermes will need a few days of rest and extra attention from shelter staff before he’s ready to be placed in a new home.

Adopters wanted!!

As the pandemic winds down, efforts to relocate pets to Massachusetts have assumed a greater urgency, underscoring just how critical the affiliation between the MSPCA and NEAS has become.

“What we saw in regions with already high animal intake in the last year was a significant reduction in pet surrender and animal control services, combined with temporary closures of shelters due to the risk of COVID-19 to shelter staffers,” said Keiley. “Simultaneously, spay and neuter services were reduced in many areas, creating a recent rise in animal populations across the country.”

These realities combined have resulted in an unprecedented increase in animal intake at shelters throughout the US, furthering the movement of even more animals to Massachusetts.

Although adoption interest is still high for both puppies and small dogs, NEAS and the MSPCA are in need of more adoptive families for our larger dogs, and those with specific needs like Giblet, Hermes and Biscuit.

Anyone interested in adopting Giblet and Biscuit can visit mspca.org/adopt, and anyone interested in adopting Hermes can click neas.org/adopt.

Cat Found Dead of Multiple BB Gunshot Wounds; Cambridge Police Dept., Animal Control Office Also Investigating

 $2,500 Reward for Information Leading to a Conviction

BOSTON, May 10, 2021 – The MSPCA-Angell’s Law Enforcement and the City of Cambridge Police departments, alongside the Cambridge Animal Control division, are seeking help from the public to identify whomever is responsible for binding and shooting a young male cat found dead near the intersection of Hurley and Sciarappa Streets in Cambridge, Mass. at approximately 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 6.

Cambridge’s Animal Control Officer responded to a call about a cat crying underneath a car and discovered that the cat, whose hind legs were bound with masking tape, had already died.  The Animal Control Officer brought the cat to Angell Animal Medical Center in Jamaica Plain, where Pathologist Pam Mouser performed a necropsy.

What Dr. Mouser found was shocking.

A large percentage of the cat’s fur was missing, and the animal suffered multiple BB gunshot wounds across its face and body.  Preliminary findings indicate that the cat died when one of the BBs punctured its lung.  Eleven BBs were removed from its body.

“This case is a particularly disturbing as the cat was not only shot numerous times, but was also purposefully bound with tape and ultimately left to die from his injuries,” said Dr. Mouser.

Owner: “Gosha” Disappeared from Front of Home

On the morning of Tuesday, May 4, “Gosha” disappeared from in front of his Cambridge home.  His owner, Francisco Rosales, sensed that something was wrong, and he and his wife immediately began posting flyers around their East Cambridge neighborhood in hopes that someone might spot Gosha.

“We’re devastated, and we cannot believe that something like this could happen to our cat, and our fear is that whoever killed Gosha could do this to someone else’s pet,” said Rosales.  “We urge anyone who may have information about who did this to please call the investigators.”

$2,500 Reward for Information Leading to Conviction

The cat is described as mostly black and shorthaired, with patches of white on its face, neck and paws.  The cat weighed 12.3 lbs.  Anyone with information is urged to call the MSPCA’s Law Enforcement phone number at 800-628-5808 or the Cambridge Police Dept. at 617-349-3300.

The MSPCA is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to an animal cruelty conviction.  Animal cruelty is a felony crime in Massachusetts, punishable by up to seven years in prison and a maximum fine of $5,000.

The Cambridge Animal Commission encourages any cat owners in the area to keep their cats indoors. As a reminder, if your pet is lost, please call the Cambridge Animal Commission immediately at 617-349-4376. If you get a voicemail, please still leave your name, phone number, address and description of your pet. They will return your call as soon as possible. If this occurs during off-hours/holidays, please call the Cambridge Police at 617-349-3300. 

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City of Lawrence Launches Investigation as the MSPCA Settles the Animals into its Adoption Centers

BOSTON, Methuen and Centerville, Mass., April 1, 2021 – The Easter holiday arrived early for 32 rabbits who were living in conditions described as “unsanitary” before being surrendered to the MSPCA-Angell on March 29.  The rabbits, mostly adults with some as young as five weeks of age, will be distributed among the MSPCA’s adoption centers in Methuen, Boston and Centerville on Cape Cod.

The rabbits include one mom nursing eight babies, were joined by seven chickens who were also surrendered from the same home in Lawrence, Mass.  The chickens—who officials believe to be about one year in age—will live alongside 24 other homeless chickens at Nevins Farm before they can be placed into new homes.

An Overwhelmed Owner Leads to Animals in Need

The animals involved were owned by someone who was overwhelmed by their numbers, and who became unable to provide for their basic care.  The rabbits, New Zealand and Dutch mixes, were living in conditions that had become unsanitary, and their dietary requirements were not being met.

Adopters Wanted!

MSPCA at Nevins Farm Director Meaghan O’Leary hopes that adopters will step up to take one, or a pair, home.  “This is a large surrender for us and has doubled our rabbit population in just one day,” she said.  “My message to anyone considering a new pet is that now is the time to visit one of our adoption centers to bring home a new best friend.”

O’Leary said that the MSPCA does not discourage rabbit adoption so close to the Easter holiday because, despite rampant speculation, there is no evidence that rabbits adopted near the holiday are returned at higher rates.  “Our adoption counselors are very skilled at making excellent matches for people that are thoughtful about adding [a rabbit] to their family,” said O’Leary.

The MSPCA’s three adoption centers remain closed to the public during the pandemic, but adoptions by appointment have proceeded apace.  Anyone interested in adopting the rabbits can fill out an online adoption inquiry here.

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