Latest news with #DanCody
CBS News
05-07-2025
- General
- CBS News
Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh issues call for help as shelter is over capacity
Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh issues call for help as shelter is over capacity Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh issues call for help as shelter is over capacity Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh issues call for help as shelter is over capacity The Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh is issuing an urgent call for help after a disturbing rise in animals being abandoned directly at the shelter's doorstep. The pets are sometimes tied up; other times, they are simply left behind as their owners drive away. Among the most heartbreaking recent cases is Petunia, a dog whose owner dropped her off in the rescue's parking lot and drove away. Surveillance video of the property showed the confused dog chasing after the car that left her behind, unaware she had been abandoned. "I don't have any words, honestly. This is one of the most loving dogs I've ever seen, and she's immediately on her belly, ready for love and attention," said Dan Cody, Executive Director of the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh. Petunia is just one of five dogs abandoned at HARP in the last month. All were left without a name, medical history or even basic identification. "It's terrible to leave an animal tied to the door. They have no opportunity to respond to any stimuli that could come up to them. It's terrible to abandon an animal in a parking lot and allow them to walk after a car," said Cody. The shelter is currently housing 118 animals in a space built for 107, a number that continues to climb as more pets are left without care. "We are over capacity and need your help. There has been no time more urgent than right now," said Cody. HARP officials say they understand that life circumstances change and sometimes, pet owners are forced to make difficult decisions, but abandoning an animal without any background information only deepens the trauma for the pet and makes it harder for the shelter to help. "We get a lot less information about those animals, so we don't know what they are like behaviorally, we don't know their history or if they have an owner, who that owner might have been, and the situation was," said Cody. As the shelter deals with overcrowding, they're asking the public for assistance, whether through fostering, adopting or making a donation. HARP reminds the public that there are humane and responsible ways to surrender an animal, and they're committed to helping owners through that process. Resources for pet owners facing hardship The organization offers numerous resources for pet owners who are struggling and encourages anyone in crisis to reach out before resorting to abandonment. Those resources include the Pet Helpline, which offers free, compassionate guidance on behavior, housing issues, and veterinary care, among other services. Pet owners should call 412-345-0348 or email this address. Ellie's Pet Pantry offers free pet food and basic supplies to families experiencing financial hardship. Low-cost veterinary clinics are available to offer accessible care for any pet, regardless of where they were adopted. For owners who can no longer house their pets, owner surrender appointments ensure pets are safely and responsibly taken into shelter care. Call 412-345-0348 to schedule.
CBS News
04-07-2025
- General
- CBS News
Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh reports "heartbreaking" rise in dogs abandoned outside its doors
The Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh says in just the last month, five dogs were abandoned outside its facilities after hours. In one "heartbreaking" video shared by HARP, a person is seen taking a dog out of a car and leading it away. As the car drives off, the dog chases after it, leash trailing. "She chased after the car that drove away ... not knowing she'd just been left behind forever," the video caption says. Staff found her in the bushes a bit later. The nonprofit shared two other videos. In one, a person removes a dog from the back of a car and leaves it in the early morning hours. In the other, two people tie two dogs to door handles before driving away. "These images are heartbreaking," HARP executive director Dan Cody said in a news release. "You can see the confusion in their eyes—the fear, the betrayal. No animal deserves to be discarded like this." HARP asks for help HARP said it's already operating at critical capacity, with dog housing almost hitting its limit at times. The shelter says it's doing everything it can to care for the sudden, unplanned intakes, but many of the animals arrive malnourished, scared or with untreated medical issues. "When a pet is abandoned, we lose vital information—about their health, their behavior, even their name," said Cody. "It makes helping them infinitely harder, and more heartbreaking." The nonprofit is asking for donations, saying it will help them care for animals brought in under traumatic circumstances. HARP offers resources for struggling pet owners The nonprofit is reminding the public that it offers several resources for struggling pet owners. Ellie's Pet Pantry offers pet food and basic supplies to families in need, and there are low-cost veterinary clinics, even if the patients weren't adopted from HARP. For people who are struggling with behavior, housing issues and veterinary care, there's a free pet helpline that can be reached at 412-345-0348. And pets can be surrendered, but appointments are required to make sure they are safely and responsibly taken into the shelter. Owners who want to make an appointment can call 412-345-0348.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
CPR from the public saves 300 lives in single year
Members of the public in the South East have saved more than 300 lives in a year by knowing how to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Some 307 people in Kent, Surrey and Sussex who went into cardiac arrest survived for at least 30 days after being resuscitated. Kirsty Finch, from Hadlow in Kent, used CPR on her husband when he went into cardiac arrest in December, having been trained in the procedure just four weeks earlier. "I'm so glad I took the course as it gave me the confidence to act in those critical moments before the teams arrived," she said. South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) is urging more people to learn CPR to "significantly increase a person's chance of survival". There were 2,172 occasions where the public used CPR in attempts to resuscitate people having a heart attack across the region in the 12 months from March 2023-March 2024, according to the latest figures. It means the area covered by Secamb has a public CPR success rate of 11.5% - the highest rate recorded by any English ambulance service and an increase of 2% on the previous year. Dan Cody, interim deputy chief medical officer and consultant paramedic for Secamb, said: "It can take a whole community to save a life and the public, our volunteers, my colleagues and our expert hospital teams are all vital links in the chain of survival. In-person CPR training is available throughout the UK from multiple organisations. The British Heart Foundation and the Resuscitation Council UK also offer CPR training online. Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Daughter, 3, learns life-saving CPR to help dad Record number of callouts for air ambulance Charity plans to install dozens of defibrillators British Heart Foundation Secamb
CBS News
08-02-2025
- General
- CBS News
Microchip company ceases operations, pet owners urged to re-register
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Animal shelters, rescues, and veterinarian clinics around the U.S. are posting on social media telling pet owners to check their four-legged friends' microchips after learning a major microchip company is no longer providing services. Pet microchips are tiny but they can save lives. "Microchipping is an absolutely crucial tool for reuniting pets with their families when they get lost," said Dan Cody, Executive Director of Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh. But what if your pet has a chip that doesn't work properly? That's what many animal organizations nationwide fear for pets with microchips registered with a company called Save This Life. Official documents from the state of Texas show the company ceased operations. When we called the company, their phones were down. "The closure of this company is really concerning for us and you know we want to make sure that everybody has a microchip in their pet and that it's actively registered with the database," Cody said. Cody said they've had a few animals come in the last six months that had Save This Life microchips. "And we had a hard time reaching out to the company as well. So, it did become concerning to us. They were unresponsive or did not respond very well," he said. If you're unsure which company your cats or dogs' chips are registered with, check them. "You can go to your local veterinarian office, a local police station, or even a local animal shelter like HARP, and we can help check that for you and scan your animal. And then you take that number that's on there and there's a tool online where you can go look it up," Cody said. He said you check the number by using the AAHA Universal Microchip Lookup Tool at this link. If you discover your pet's microchip was registered to the company that's ceased operations, you'll need to register with a different company. "So, if you find that you are affected by this, you're going to want to go to one of these other websites that do the registrations. So, things like AKC Reunite, and PetLink. 24PetWatch these are all large companies who've been around for a long time and have good reputations," said Cody. The American Kennel Club shared a post from its AKC Reunite Facebook page, encouraging people to enroll in microchips with AKC Reunite. The post said in part, "If your dog or cat has a microchip number that starts with 991 or 900164 then it could be a Save This Life microchip. Save This Life suddenly closed, and your pet may not be protected." Cody said if your furry best friend isn't microchipped, take them to a vet or shelter like HARP to get one implanted under their skin so they have a permanent ID. Microchipping can be done at HARP's East Side and North Side Veterinary Medical Center by appointment. "We get pets brought in all the time from animal care and control. Those really are just pets that are lost. And the first thing that we do when they come in is scan them for that microchip and that allows us to immediately give you a phone call It keeps the worry away and allows you to get your pet back in the home where it's loved," Cody said. Cody also added regardless of what company you use, this is a good reminder to just check your pets' microchip to make sure your contact information is up to date as well.
