Tag: Maeve Dunigan

What a beautiful account!

From the find of the six puppies to the fantastic conclusion.

I subscribe to The Dodo. On September 5th Maeve Dunigan wrote an article that is so beautiful. I have permission to republish the story.

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Rescuers Hear Cries In Open Field — Then See Faces Peeking Out Of A Drain.

“[They] were friendly and very social.”

By Maeve Dunigan

Published on Sep 5, 2025

In a field near the Kansas Humane Society’s Murfin Animal Care Campus, a concrete storm drain peeks out of the green grass, its circular opening extending into a black tunnel below. One morning this past July, humane society team members arrived at work and heard a heartbreaking sound echoing from within this drain — the sound of animals crying for help.

Kansas Humane Society

The rescuers hurried over and found the source of the noise. There, cowering inside, were six little puppies left to fend for themselves.

puppy in drain
KANSAS HUMANE SOCIETY 

Using treats as a tasty incentive, the team coaxed each puppy out from the hole. The pups served a mandatory stray hold at the Wichita Animal Shelter next door. Then they returned to the Kansas Humane Society for further care.

woman helping dog
KANSAS HUMANE SOCIETY 

Staff members gave the pups a comfortable place to recover. They named the dogs Abby, Ellie, Greg, Lev, Mike and Tommy, and made sure each of them received the necessary vaccines and medical attention needed to grow up healthy and strong.

puppies in backseat
KANSAS HUMANE SOCIETY

“The puppies were very wiggly, especially Ellie,” a representative from Kansas Humane Society told The Dodo. “All were friendly and very social.”

Local news stations soon began covering the amazing rescue, urging community members to adopt or foster the pups. Within two days, every puppy was either adopted or put on hold for adoption.

puppies
KANSAS HUMANE SOCIETY 

Today, Abby, Ellie, Greg, Lev, Mike and Tommy are all safe in their forever homes, and rescuers couldn’t be happier.

“We hope their futures are full of love, cuddles and treats,” the representative said.

To help other animals like these puppies, you can make a donation to the Kansas Humane Society.

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It is stories like this one that provide the incentive for not engaging in politics. Period!

A lovely story about a snake

It’s from The Dodo website.

This is fabulous and I don’t intend to say anymore.

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Woman Rescues Snake — Then Watches In Awe As She Gives Birth In Her Hand

She couldn’t believe it …

By Maeve Dunigan

Published on July 23, 2025.

Earlier this month, a homeowner called Tidewater Wildlife Rescue with an urgent request. A common garter snake was hopelessly tangled in a piece of netting in their yard. Could someone come help?

Rescue volunteer Serenity Reiner quickly headed to the scene.

TIDEWATER WILDLIFE RESCUE

Reiner and her rescue partner, Daniel, used scissors to cut away big pieces of the net. Then, Daniel gently held the snake as Reiner snipped away netting closer to the animal’s body.

“We were very focused,” Reiner told The Dodo. “We wanted to be as fast as possible to limit [her] stress.”

The rescuers were almost finished when they noticed something amazing — the snake was giving birth in their hands.

TIDEWATER WILDLIFE RESCUE

Reiner hastily removed the remaining netting as the mama snake birthed two babies. Then, she took the snake and her little ones to a wooded area behind the house and released them back into the wild.

Surprisingly, despite their size, baby garter snakes don’t need to live with their mom for very long. In fact, as the rescue notes, these young snakes are completely independent from the moment they’re born and can immediately find food on their own.

TIDEWATER WILDLIFE RESCUE

According to the U.S. National Park Service, garter snakes typically give birth to 15-40 babies at a time. Reiner suspects this mama welcomed many more little ones into the world once she was safe in the forest.

The rescuer encouraged the homeowners to use animal-safe netting next time. She’s grateful that, in this case, everything turned out OK.

“I felt so much joy knowing that she was able to go back to her normal life unharmed,” Reiner said.

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Wonderful!

Another beautiful dog story

A story about a dog that was first thought to be dead.

Dear reader,

We had so much going on Wednesday afternoon that I was tempted to give this post a miss. But then I changed my mind considering how beautiful the story is.

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‘Dead’ Dog Abandoned In Amazon Box Turns Out To Be A Total Lovebug

He just needed someone to care.

By Maeve Dunigan, Published on the 7th March. 

Earlier this year, on a sunny day in Pennsylvania, a woman stepped out onto her porch and found a horrifying package. Lying in an open cardboard box was a fluffy white dog — and he wasn’t moving.

Alarmed, the woman quickly called her daughter, who works for Speranza Animal Rescue.

“[M]y mom called me in a panic because she found a ‘dead’ dog dropped on her porch in an Amazon box,” the rescue wrote in a Facebook post about the event. “Turns out this boy wasn’t dead, he was just unconscious.”

FACEBOOK/SPERANZA ANIMAL RESCUE

When rescuers arrived, they were heartbroken to realize the pup was barely a year old. His pupils were cloudy, and he suffered from seizures. Rescuers moved the sick dog, later named G.I. Joe, into veterinary care, where he began receiving necessary treatment.

FACEBOOK/SPERANZA ANIMAL RESCUE

Within days, G.I. Joe’s gentle spirit began returning. He moved in with Karen Spangler, an experienced foster mom, and made friends with his new dog siblings. Though she immediately loved G.I. Joe, Spangler initially insisted that the situation would only be temporary.

“I didn’t want another permanent dog to add to my family,” Spangler told The Dodo. “I told multiple family and friends I would not become a foster fail.”

FACEBOOK/SPERANZA ANIMAL RESCUE

But as the weeks went on, Spangler realized G.I. Joe, or “Joey,” as she calls him, was too special to let go. The curious, quiet rescue pup had already bonded with her grandchildren and with her other two dogs. Spangler adored G.I. Joe, and she wanted him to feel safe and secure.

“I could not put him through another change,” Spangler said. “That was it. I became a foster fail.”

KAREN SPANGLER

These days, Spangler can’t imagine her life without G.I. Joe. Her new pup has already proven to be a great influence on her other dogs, encouraging them to play and exercise. Spangler looks forward to G.I. Joe’s continued training and hopes to walk him on neighborhood country roads soon.

“They always say things happen for a reason, and this is so true,” Spangler said. “My family needed Joey. Never in a million years did I think he would turn out to be so sweet and smart. [I]m looking forward to seeing where he takes us.”

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Karen Spangler is a very kind soul and clearly loves dogs. Congratulations to her and to the Speranza Animal Rescue. Finally, many thanks to Maeve Dunigan for writing the story.

This beggars belief!

What some people get up to!

I know (alright assume) that everyone who reads this blog is a dog lover. Indeed, millions more to add to that count who do not read the blog.

So I just do not understand how this dog came to be abandoned. As reported recently in The Dodo.

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Beautiful White Puppy Left Tied To Pole Waits Days For Someone To Rescue Him

He had no food or water 😔

By Maeve Dunigan

Published on the 15th February, 2024

Alone on a cracked patch of cement, a white dog named Buckley stared up the street from where he was left tied to a pole in Santa Monica, California. For days, the gentle dog waited for someone to notice him, hoping they might take him somewhere safe.

LOVE LEO RESCUE

One day, a local rescuer passing by noticed Buckley’s big brown eyes. She couldn’t believe the 6-month-old husky puppy was alone without food or water. She knew she had to help.

Soon, Buckley was off the streets, safe in the expert hands of Love Leo Rescue.

LOVE LEO RESCUE

Meeting the pup for the first time, rescuers felt moved by Buckley’s warmth and resilience.

“Buckley is an exceptional dog,” Love Leo Rescue director Sasha Abelson told The Dodo. “He is well balanced and loving and didn’t let his previous experiences change his lovely personality.”

The wayward pup eventually moved in with a foster family. Lately, he’s enjoyed spending lots of time outside with his new friends.

“Buckley is a typical, happy-go-lucky husky,” Leo said. “He loves playing with his dog friends and learning new skills. He loves going for hikes and also cuddling near his humans. He is just a perfect family dog.”

LOVE LEO RESCUE

For now, Buckley is still searching for his forever home, hoping his family finds him soon.

“Buckley would love to go into a home that is active and preferably a home with another playful, balanced dog,” Leo said. “We think a dog brother or sister would be wonderful for him.”

With any luck, Buckley won’t be waiting very much longer.

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Now it is just possible that a person who reads this story will want to adopt Buckley. If that is the case then visit the Love Leo Rescue website for more details.

Fingers very tightly crossed that Buckley finds his home soon!

Rescuing a dog in South Africa

A delightful story that one hopes will be allowed to share.

One is constantly looking for lovely dog stories and recently I came across this story from The Dodo.

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Woman Stops In Her Tracks When She Sees Brown Legs Poking Out Of Trash

She almost didn’t notice …

By Maeve Dunigan

Published on the 20th April, 2023

The other day, members of the neighborhood watch in Richards Bay, South Africa, received a shocking phone call. A woman said she’d been walking through an undeveloped area of wilderness nearby and stumbled on something heartbreaking.

Two watch captains rushed to the scene. When they arrived, they found a discarded pile of rubble and plastic — not necessarily a surprise, given that trash is occasionally dumped in the area. What was upsetting, though, were the pair of long brown legs and pleading black eyes barely visible under the debris.

A little dog was trapped, and he needed help.

With caution, the team began to cut the dog loose from the plastic bag where he’d been tied up. After freeing the pup, they carried him out of the trash and gently placed him in the grass nearby.

The dog, later named Rocky, was so happy to be able to move around, though he was very weak from his ordeal. Neighborhood watch personnel gave the pup some ice cubes to suck on while they waited for SPCA Richards Bay staff to arrive.

Safe at the SPCA, a veterinary team examined Rocky and treated him for a small wound on his head. The malnourished pup was given plenty of food and water, and, in no time, Rocky’s slim figure began to improve and his personality began to shine.

“Rocky is now the sweetest, most outgoing puppy,” a representative from SPCA Richards Bay told The Dodo.

SPCA staff were inspired by Rocky — who spread so much love and who didn’t seem jaded by his harrowing ordeal.

“We were amazed at how a puppy who had been discarded like trash could love and trust again,” the representative said.

Rocky has since been adopted into a loving family and taken to live with them on their farm. The grateful pup, who once spent hours trapped under garbage, unable to move, will spend the rest of his days running through the ample fields of his new home, loving every minute.

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All of the above photographs are taken by FACEBOOK/SPCA RICHARDS BAY

No matter where in the world one is there is a love for dogs and this account shows it to be so!

Another happy dog!

Dogs are so perfect in their expressions!

Dogs are not always happy as we know with the loss of our Sheena. Because the other dogs felt the loss inexplicably. But in the main they are happy, happy animals. Unlike us humans who have lots of things to contend with. I say this because in the last twenty-four hours we have had the sudden explosion of fire down in Northern California, the McKinney blaze, which has grown very rapidly.

California’s Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency over the fire, which began on Friday afternoon before rapidly exploding in size due to a combination of dry fuel after a drought, strong winds and lightning strikes.

Around 650 firefighters are battling to contain the fire, officials say, but with little success. Sheriffs said on Sunday evening that it was “0% contained”.

As a result, more than 2,000 inhabitants of the area around the Klamath National Forest are being forced to evacuate their homes. Rescue teams have been aiding hikers who had been on the national park’s trails.

The China 2 fire, that is part of the group of California fires, is about 55 miles due south of home. Far enough not to panic but not far enough not to get us to check our evacuation preparations.

We hope that we are not evacuated in the next few weeks because of fire!

Here is a delightful dog article courtesy of The Dodo.

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Dog Dances In The Rain After 175 Days Stuck In Shelter 

“The absolute joy in his eyes and the feeling of freedom was wonderful to watch.”

By Maeve Dunigan

Published on the 1st July, 2022

When staff members from Forgotten Dogs Rescue pulled Rambo from a shelter and placed him with a foster family, they had no idea how much the pittie mix would love the feeling of freedom.

It was raining outside, but that wasn’t going to stop him. After 175 days, Rambo was finally out of the shelter, and he was so happy that he started running and dancing in the rain.

“I cried happy tears when his foster mom sent me the video,” Julie Saraceno, a shelter volunteer, told The Dodo. “That was his second day in his foster home, and the absolute joy in his eyes and the feeling of freedom was wonderful to watch.”

When Rambo went from a small concrete kennel to a large grass-covered yard, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

The young dog with beautiful, big eyes has an exuberance that shows. He loves other dogs and cats, and while he’s certainly high energy, he’s also always willing to snuggle on the couch.

“He is the sweetest guy to the people he considers his crew,” Saraceno said.

Rambo, who was originally found roaming the streets of Kennewick, Washington, as a stray, is working every day to become more confident and less fearful. Through his work with a trainer, he has learned obedience, how to meet strangers and lots of other skills that have made him a good boy.

Once Rambo finishes his training, he’ll be ready to meet potential fits for his forever home, ideally one where there’s space for him to exercise all his energy.

Pretty soon, Rambo won’t have to jump at every opportunity to get outside. He’ll have a yard — and a family — all his own.

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(The first photograph was taken by Julie Saraceno and the last two were taken by Billie Wensveen.)

Six months in a shelter! That must have been a real joy for Rambo when he was let out. Correction: It was a real joy because that was how Rambo expressed himself.

As I called this post: Another Happy Dog.