Yesterday, in the middle of this bitter cold snap we’re all enduring, five vulnerable puppies arrived at our doors. They’d been found abandoned in a plastic tote, left by the side of the road in rural Iowa – where temperatures were in the single digits, with wind chills as low as 15 below zero.
When deputies responded to a medical call at a rural residence, they were shocked to also come across another level of suffering – dozens of sick cats living in extremely poor conditions alongside the residents.
When our Animal Welfare & Response Team was called to assist the Decatur County Sheriff in removing multiple dogs trapped in a filthy trailer, they arrived to see puppies poking their heads out of broken windows, looking for a way out.
When the ARL got the urgent call from the Dallas County Sheriff’s office to assist with the removal of 46 horses – many injured and thin, with little to no food and water – our rescue team quickly prepared for our largest horse rescue operation in years.
It’s late October, but kitten season isn’t slowing down! Dozens of tiny fluffballs – some cuddled up with littermates, others orphaned and alone – are finding refuge at the Animal Rescue League.
When Roxie came through our doors, our hearts broke. This senior girl was found wandering alone, incredibly thin, and missing much of her fur. One look at her sad, cloudy eyes, and we knew she needed help. They said so much.
When Belle came through our doors, it was a heartbreaking sight. At just 3 months old, she had already lived her young life in pain. The skin on her face, legs, tail and ears was inflamed, swollen and covered in scabs. Her ears were infected and bleeding. She was hurting so much that she could barely bring herself to move from the bed we gave her.
When our Animal Welfare and Response Team arrived in Mason City to assist police with dozens of cats trapped in a van this week, temps were already in the 90s, making temps inside the enclosed van life-threatening.
Every shelter across the country is full right now, and the ARL is no different, but when we received a call to help 27 animals from a hoarding case in Wayne County, we couldn’t say no. They had nowhere else to turn. Now they need your help.
It was a sight we’d never seen and hope to never see again: A giant, shockingly thin horse being forced to pull a carriage in downtown Des Moines.
