Italian firefighters have taken video of the rescue of the very lucky dog, and have posted it to various social media sites across the internet.  As one could imagine, the video quickly went viral.  After the damage the area has suffered from the 6.6-magnitude is quite a lot, so good news like this is just what’s needed there right now.

So far, estimates show that at least 15,000 are left homeless.  No one was killed or seriously injured, however the beautiful and historic Basilica of St. Benedict was lost.  The building was built in the 14^th century, and is considered a total loss.  Homes, buildings, and stores can all be rebuilt, and even though the loss of the historical sites is tragic, lives are still being saved, and many brave men, women and dogs are out there working hard to make a difference.

The post Dog Survives Building Collapse Caused by a 6.6-Magnitude Quake in Italy appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

The quake struck at around 4 am local time, and residents reported at least four large aftershocks.  Over 300 people have been rescued, and Madonna, who performed there on Saturday night, offered her condolences for all the victims and their families.

“This was strong enough to not only be felt here in the [Taiwanese] capital city of Taipei but also in the southern provinces of China,” Elise Hu, an NPR correspondent who was in Taipei at the time, told CNN. “Taiwan is very used to earthquakes and tremors, but this is far more significant than the island has seen in quite a while.”

As soon as disaster struck, the search for survivors began.  Twenty-three search and rescue dogs have been dispatched, and are working hard to find more people and other dogs.  The little dog who was pulled from the building collapse appears to be in good shape, and has hopefully been reunited with family.

The post Dog Is Miraculously Pulled Alive from 17-Story Building Collapse appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

The post Man Rescues Puppies After Disaster in Dominican Republic appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

Karen Latchford and her boyfriend Chris Ashdown were away when the earthquake hit Nepal two weeks ago.  Their dog Tara was in a kennel, and they were devastated, thinking that she was most certainly dead.  But amazingly, she was found alive and is doing well.

Chris is a civil engineer and Karen is an English teacher.  They have lived in Nepal for the last year, and will soon be moving to Ethiopia for an irrigation project.  Dogs often have to stay in quarantine for a while when traveling to another country, so Tara was kept in Nepal while Chris and Karen went on a brief visit home in the UK.

Tara was staying at Paradise Boarding Kennels in Kathmandu when the 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the area.  Karen tried to get a hold of the kennel, but was predictably unable to get through.

She issued a mass appeal to the public to help find Tara and let her know that she was okay.

“I understand it’s a tragedy and lives have been lost and it may seem selfish but I just want to make sure she’s OK that’s all. She’s basically my family. I don’t have any children and she’s my baby.”

The couple has had Tara since they adopted the English Springer Spaniel as a puppy in Pakistan.

“Tara is friendly, she loves people. Just like her name she’s an absolute star. We were offered two puppies in Pakistan and she just ran up and leapt into Chris’ arms. She loves people, she loves playing. Full of energy, runs around, plays all the time,” Karen said.

“We’re just so worried and if there’s anyone out there who can help please let us know.

“I just hope maybe someone has seen her and will get in touch.  We’ve got numbers for the kennel but can’t get in touch with anybody. We’ve managed today to get two mobile numbers for managers but they are not connecting.”

Thankfully, a veterinarian visited the site of the kennel and found Tara alive.

“We are just so, so relieved she is okay – it’s wonderful. The vet has checked her over and said she is in good health,” Karen said.

“Now a friend is going to check on her, too. The airport is open but there are a lot of people being flown out so we don’t know when we will be able to fly her back.

“Food is running low there so we do want to move as quickly as we can.”

They are working on getting a flight as soon as possible.

“We are just so relieved and now we want her back.  But at the same time we know there are a lot of dogs in Kathmandu not getting this attention and care and we are worried about those, as well.”

Karen is deeply concerned about all who have been affected by the catastrophe.

“I know from speaking to my friends in Nepal that aid is finally getting through and making it out to more remote areas.

“I just hope everyone we knew – all the students I taught and the teachers I worked with – are fit and well and that their families are, too.”

The post Dog Feared to Be Dead in Nepal Earthquake Found Alive appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

Dogs who have had their lives saved are getting the chance to pay it forward – they’re now search-and-rescue dogs who are working hard to find people buried in the rubble left by the catastrophic earthquake in Nepal.

The death toll from the April 25^th 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Nepal is at over 6,000 and still climbing.  Thousands are unaccounted for, and thousands more are injured.  Entire villages have been decimated, with nearly every home and clinic destroyed.  Relief efforts are slow to arrive in badly damaged rural areas, so even after a week, many villages have yet to see assistance.

Search teams have rushed in from around the world to help find survivors. One of them is National Search Dog Foundation, a nonprofit group that takes in shelter dogs and turns them into search-and-rescue dogs.

The SDF dogs have been involved in searches for survivors of the Joplin, Missouri tornado, the tsunami/earthquakes in Japan, the earthquake in Haiti, hurricane Katrina, and the World Trade Center collapse.

SDF teams were quickly deployed to Nepal.  There are many casualties, and the dogs can become very morose when they do not find living people.  A boon to everyone’s spirits came five days after the earthquake when a teenage boy was discovered.  He had survived on ghee (a kind of clarified butter) and water wrung from his clothes.

After a week, the chances of finding survivors is very slim, but these dogs and their handlers are making their very best effort.

http://youtu.be/c06rbiZ3rWc

The post Rescue Dogs Are Saving Lives in Earthquake-Devastated Nepal appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.