After a tough morning commute, Rudolph, the dog rescued by MBTA Transit police officer after a concerned citizen spotted him roaming the commuter rail tracks between the Savin Hill and JFK-UMass stations, is resting comfortably at the ARL’s Boston adoption center.
Rudolph takes a nap at our shelter after his exhausting day.
The ARL’s Rescue Services team responded to a call from the MBTA and brought Rudolph to the Boston adoption center for a medical evaluation. He received vaccines and some much need r&r after such a tough morning.
“Rudolph is a sweet dog who has the quick actions of transit police to thank for getting him out of a very dangerous situation,” explains Danielle Genter, senior rescue technician at the ARL. “We’re very happy we were there to answer the call to provide care and shelter for him.”
According to the MBTA Transit Police, at approximately 10:00 am on December 9, a concerned citizen approached MBTA Transit Police Officer Murawski-Dupont at the Savin Hill station after spotting a pit bull roaming the commuter rail tracks between Savin Hill and JFK-UMass stations.
If you recognize Rudolph, please contact the Transit Police Special Crimes Unit at (617) 222-1170 or text any information (anonymously) to 873873 or call the ARL at (617) 426-9170
Even After His Death Tony Lopes Continues to Support Animals & Art
Sculptor David Phillips (l) and Tony Lopes (r) at the artist reception following the May sculpture unveiling.
We are saddened to report that Tony Lopes passed away last week after a courageous battle with cancer.
Tony, a Brookline artist and resident and animal lover, was a great friend of the ARL. He generously commissioned “Dancing with Spheres” – the sculpture which now adorns the dog play-yard at our Boston headquarters. The piece combines two of his greatest passions: his love of animals and the importance of public art.
ARL Chairman of the Board, Malcolm McDonald had a chance to get to know Tony and said, “I had the pleasure of spending time with Tony over the last two years as we worked to see his gift to the ARL of the sculpture become a reality. He had a deep appreciation for the passion, integrity, and commitment the ARL brings to animal welfare and very much wanted to spread the word.”
At Tony’s request mourners were asked to omit flowers and instead to make a donation in his memory to the Animal Rescue League of Boston or to the Museum of Fine Arts. Arrangements by the Crapo-Hathaway Funeral Home, TAUNTON, MA. To light a candle or to access the memorial register go to www.hathawayfunerals.com.
Tony will be missed, but his artistic soul and love of animals will live on.
“‘Dancing with Spheres’ would not have been possible without Tony Lopes, who represents the best of our many wonderful supporters” – Mary Nee, president of the ARL.
Mandy is an ARL Alum who hopes that the second time is the charm. She is 4 years-old and has been at our Boston adoption center since October 29, which is a little long in our opinion. It’s time she found a family for the holidays!
Don’t let her droopy eyes fool you, Mandy has a delightful personality! She is a mellow girl who loves to be petted and spending time with you. She is very friendly and has lived with other cats, so she’d be fine in a house full of kitties or a place of her own.
Her favorite things include human touch and companionship, and a cozy bed!
As much as she loves to cuddle, she also enjoys some playtime here and there. Check out the photos below to see what we mean.
If you’re looking for a lovable cat to add to your family this holiday season, please consider adopting Mandy. You can meet her at our Boston adoption center or give us a call at (617) 426-9170.
We’ll be at the South End Holiday Tree Lighting this afternoon from 3:30-5:30pm. Stop by and say “hi!” Several adoptable dogs will be with us spreading joy and holiday cheer! We love getting out into the community and sharing what the ARL is all about.
The afternoon will be filled with family-friendly entertainment and art-making culminating in the holiday tree lighting with Mayor Menino!
Enjoy live performances, holiday printmaking, festive music, refreshments and…Macy’s enchanted trolley with special guests from the north pole!
Launches community outreach campaign aimed at finding more animals a home this holiday season
Boston, MA – Today, the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) kicked off “Home for the Holidays,” a month-long community outreach campaign to encourage adoption and support for shelter animals. By featuring stories of animals rescued from cruel conditions, now recovered and living happy lives, as well as animals available for adoption, the ARL hopes to find more animals a home this holiday season.
“This is the time of year when we especially want to give every animal in our care the opportunity to experience joy and companionship. After all, it’s what the holidays are all about,” says Mary Nee, president of the ARL.
Franny and Tuukka, two of the 13 puppies found living in cruel conditions in Middleboro, received special care from the ARL and are now home for the holidays. (photo credit: Amelia Hughes)
Every year the organization unites over 3,000 deserving animals from adoption centers in Boston, Dedham, and Brewster with loving human companions. Another 1,100 find foster homes with dedicated ARL volunteers, including the 13 puppies rescued earlier this fall during a SWAT team raid at a home in Middleboro, Massachusetts.
Found jammed into a crate, the 5-week old puppies were covered in filth, emaciated, and dehydrated. According to the director of the ARL’s Center for Animal Protection, Lt. Alan Borgal, they had clearly been living in cruel conditions.
Because they needed more one-on-one care to heal and develop physically and socially, the puppies went to dedicated ARL foster volunteers to get the special attention and training they needed. In just a few short weeks, the puppies had grown by leaps and bounds and today, Franny, Tuukka, Grunt, Moose, Honey, Shamus, Bleu, Cheddar, Colby, Brie, and BabyBel all have a home for the holidays.
“The happiest part of the work we do all year is bringing animals like the Middleboro puppies and people together,” explains Nee. “Our biggest holiday wish is for the animals in our care and families willing to open their hearts to find each other.”
About the Animal Rescue League Founded in 1899, the Animal Rescue League of Boston is dedicated to rescuing domesticated animals and wildlife from suffering, cruelty, abandonment, and neglect. The ARL receives no government funding and relies solely on the generosity of supporters to help animals in need.
Media Contact Ami Bowen, Director of Marketing and Communications
(617) 226-5668 abowen@arlboston.org Photos of Middleboro puppies available on request
Featuring Animals Who Need a Home & Those Who’ve Already Found One
This is the time of year when everyone at the ARL especially wants to give the animals in our care the opportunity to experience joy and companionship. After all, it’s what the holidays are all about.
With that in mind, today we kick off “Home for the Holidays,” a month-long community outreach campaign to encourage adoption and support for our shelter animals.
We’ll feature stories on our blog about animals rescued from cruel conditions, now recovered and living happy and healthy lives.
Mike a 1-year-old guinea pig.
We will also share the stories of the many deserving animals available for adoption at our adoption centers in Boston, Dedham, and Brewster. Animals like Mike, a cute as can be guinea pig who’s been at the ARL since October 15. He’s great with kids and just an all-around stand-out guinea pig!
Our biggest holiday wish is to help the animals in our care and individuals and families willing to open their hearts to an animal in need find each other now.
Each of our adoption centers also has a holiday wish list of items and supplies that help make our furry, feathered and hoofed friends in our adoption centers feel comfortable and loved during their stay with us. You can download and share the holiday wish list for each shelter at:
The happiest part of the work we do all year is bringing animals like Mike and people together. Every year the organization unites over 3,000 deserving animals with loving human companions. Another 1,100 find foster homes with dedicated ARL volunteers, too.
We look forward to sharing stories, pictures, and videos this month to help the animals in our care find a home for the holidays!
You may be surprised by this, but giving a pet as a gift is not a terrible thing. We can say that our shelter animals would love nothing more than a home for the holidays.
According to our friends at the ASPCA, there’s no significant relationship between the love or attachment the pet parents had for their animals and receiving a dog or cat as a gift, whether they received the pet as a present or not.
Very importantly the ASPCA discovered that pets given as gifts were not more likely to be returned or surrendered!
Involvement in the decision did not impact love or attachment, said the ASPCA: “In fact, a higher percentage of those who were surprised reported that how the pet was obtained increased their love and attachment!”
The ASPCA study is not the first to challenge the conventional wisdom that pets given as gifts were more likely to be returned or surrendered. Dr. Gary Patronek, now a research consultant for the ARL’s Center for Shelter dogs and our former vice president of animal welfare, and colleagues Doctors Glickman, Beck, McCabe and Ecker, examined risk factors for dog relinquishment at one shelter and concluded that dogs received as a gift were at significantly decreased risk of being relinquished, compared to dogs who were purchased or adopted.
Dr. Jan Scarlett et al found that “unwanted gift” was rarely a reason for relinquishment of dogs and cats to the shelters surveyed.
Now that you’ve taken all of this to heart and decided to give your loved one a pet for the holidays, please keep the following things in mind.
1. Testthe waters. Before you give someone a pet as a gift, make sure to establish they are open to bringing an animal into their lives. Maybe they’ve hinted at the fact that they’ve been thinking about getting a pet. Maybe you’ve hinted at the idea and they seemed enthusiastic. Both are good signs.
2. Confirm any allergies in the household or residency restrictions. If your intended recipient has expressed an interest in adopting an animal, the next step is to confirm he or she can have a pet. If anyone has an allergy to cats in the household, for example, a kitten or adult cat is probably not a good idea.
3. Match to lifestyle. If the recipient you have in mind leads a busy lifestyle or has physical limitations, make sure to ask about an animal’s exercise requirements and personality. Grandma’s been lonely ever since Grandpa has passed and she’s hinted at wanting a pet. She has arthritis and trouble walking for extensive periods of time. A wiggly Lab puppy is not the best fit for her. Perhaps she’d do better with an older and small adult lapdog.
Maryann Regan, the ARL’s director of shelter operations, summed up our thoughts pretty well. “We feel that our shelter visitors who come in looking for a pet to give as a gift to a friend or family usually know their loved ones and what they are looking for.”
Maryann went on to say “we believe that most individuals are not going to get a pet for a friend or family member without the knowledge that their loved one wants a pet. We have had successful adoption experiences with this process.”
We’re “not suggesting that you bring the gift of a new kitten to the host of the next dinner party… but instead allow your husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, partners and parents to bring love, joy and…yes…a pet home for the holidays.”
Organization pledges to raise $5K for Alice T. Whitney Helping Hand Fund on annual day of giving
Boston, MA – The Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) hopes to raise $5,000 for the organization’s Alice T. Whitney Helping Hand Fund this #GivingTuesday, December 3. The ARL is one of the 10,000 charities, companies, families, and individuals participating in GivingTuesday 2013 to encourage generosity and charitable activities in support of non-profit organizations.
The ARL’s Alice T. Whitney Helping Hand Fund provides financial assistance to families with limited economic means in veterinary emergencies. According to Mary Nee, president of the ARL, more than 360 pets have received critical care that their owners could not afford without support from the Helping Hand Fund. The need continues to grow, she says.
“Unexpected veterinary care—particularly in emergency situations—can come at a cost that’s out of reach for an increasing number of families in this economy,” explains Mary Nee, president of the ARL.
Foxy received life-saving veterinary care thanks to the Alice T. Whitney Helping Hand Fund.
After her beloved family dog Foxy accidentally got hit by a car, for example, Candace Rivera rushed her petite 4-year-old Chihuahua to the veterinarian. Her family had fallen on hard times financially and she couldn’t afford the surgery and rehabilitation Foxy needed to survive.
For the Johnsons, news about their indoor cat Fred wasn’t much better. After sneaking out of the house, Fred was somehow seriously injured. X-rays done by their local veterinarian revealed Fred had a broken jaw. Unfortunately, Mrs. Johnson had just lost her job and the family did not have the resources for the further treatment he needed.
Luckily for these families and their pets, friends directed them to the ARL and the Alice T. Whitney Helping Hand Fund.
“The Alice T. Whitney Helping Hand Fund was established to ensure limited economic means didn’t prevent caring owners like the Riveras and Johnsons from providing vital care for their pets in treatable medical emergencies,” says Nee.
To learn more about and give to the Alice T. Whitney Helping Hand Fund on GivingTuesday, visit arlboston.org/givingtuesday2013.
About the Animal Rescue League Founded in 1899, the Animal Rescue League of Boston is dedicated to rescuing domesticated animals and wildlife from suffering, cruelty, abandonment, and neglect. The ARL receives no government funding and relies solely on the generosity of supporters to help animals in need.
Looking to Give Back After All of That Holiday Shopping?
Then please try Giving Tuesday on for size! Tomorrow is the biggest giving day of the year! Join the world in celebrating Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving by donating to the ARL’s Alice T. Whitney Helping Hand Fund which provides financial assistance to families with limited economic means so they don’t have to make the agonizing choice between everyday necessities and caring for their pet at the time of an emergency.
By giving to the Alice T. Whitney Fund, you are helping a family just like yours keep their beloved pet alive. We can’t think of a more rewarding way to give during the holiday season!
On December 3, 2013 please donate to the ARL’s Alice T. Whitney Helping Hand Fund.
Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, a 6-month-long effort to rescue a stray dog named Isa finally succeeded in bringing her in from the cold.
Isa first came to Massachusetts through the Save a Sato program, which transports homeless dogs from Puerto Rico for adoption in other regions of the U.S. She accidentaly escaped from her owner in June near Breakheart Reservations and was subsequently spotted wandering in Saugus, Stoneham, and Wakefield.
The ARL’s Center for Animal Protection first received a call about Isa during the summer from Granite State Dog Recovery (GDSR), an all-volunteer group dedicated to reuniting lost dogs with their owners in New Hampshire. GDSR works in partnership with other animal welfare organizations and local authorities in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and calls on the ARL for help with challenging rescues like Isa’s.
And Isa was most definitely a challenge!
A dedicated community effort persevered for 6 months until Isa was finally brought in from the cold just before Thanksgiving.
The very frightened and confused dog would instantly run in the opposite direction when approached by people. Until she narrowed the territory she covered as she wandered through the woods, setting up a humane trap proved next to impossible.
When she did finally begin to stay within one area, Isa wouldn’t go near the conventional humane box trap often used to capture an animal for relocation or medical treatment. The ARL brought in a more advanced drop net trap, but then poor Isa ran into the side of a passing car.
She was almost knocked out, but managed to escape back into the woods before rescuers could get to the accident scene.
“In order to capture a dog like Isa, you need to establish a routine feeding station before setting up humane traps, especially the drop net,” explains Lt. Alan Borgal, director of the ARL’s Center for Animal Protection. “When Isa got hit by a car, the whole feeding station process had to start all over again.”
Lucky for Isa, her rescuers were not about to give up on her. The ARL’s Rescue Services Team and GSDR volunteers persevered and at last their patience paid off— Isa wandered into the humane drop net trap.
True to form, she tried her best to escape, but ARL rescue technician Mark Vogel, reacted quickly.
“I ran around to head off Isa, who almost made her way out of the netting. I was able to get the net and a sliplead over her. I got a restraint pole on her and it was over,” smiles Vogel, “Isa, who had been out since June, had finally been caught.”
She immediately went to a local veterinarian who remove 80 ticks and gave her a warm medicated bath. We’re very happy to report that Isa is enjoying her fair share of Thanksgiving leftovers this weekend, along with the warmth and love of nearby human companions in a foster home.
Thank you to everyone who was part of such an amazingly dedicated community effort to rescue Isa!
