International

There is no reason to abuse animals, but somehow animal abuse happens daily. In Cartagena, Colombia, two stray dogs were rescued by neighbors and transported to a local animal organization after the pets were found in excruciating pain.

The first dog was doused in hot water and sustained third-degree burns on his torso and front, right leg. The stray was also beaten with an unknown object, and the beating left him with a broken leg (same leg that sustained most of the burns).

Strong rain storms in most of South America have caused mudslides claiming many lives. In Chañaral, Chile, a dog almost lost his life when he became trapped in a mudslide, luckily for the pet, the garbage carried by the slush formed a layer the dog used to walk to safety.

In 2011, Fukushima, Japan, experienced a massive earthquake that damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Anyone living within the plant’s reach was evacuated. Sadly, most people abandoned their pets. Naoto Matsumura lived in Tomioka, Japan, he owns a farm and like everyone in the area, he too evacuated. However, he has been the only person to return to the radioactive town and he did it to take care for his farm animals and the many pets abandoned to their own fate.

If it hasn’t happened to you, there is at least one person you know that has just had it with a job.  Some people are living that way right now, but go back day after day for various reasons.  Well for Matt Hein, that type of life will no longer do.  He’s left  a high paying job in finance, to walk dogs in the woods.

Margarita Suárez, a humble woman from Mérida, Mexico, did not run a shelter or work with a registered animal organization.  She was not rich and only earned enough money to get by, however, she never hesitated to help animals in need. Suarez fed over 20 stray cats that came to her door every morning, and whenever she went out, she carried food to feed the stray dogs she met on the streets.

On March 13, 2015, Madrid became a no-kill city after the government signed in a new law making the euthanasia of strays or abandoned animals illegal. From now on, all pets in Madrid will have the right to enjoy their lives even if they have no homes or responsible owners.