When Biden took office, one of his first acts was the elimination of our border security. Like a power-hungry dictator, Biden simply decided to ignore our immigration laws. His catastrophic border policy resulted in untold millions of unidentified foreign citizens from around the world pouring into our country. Its impact is now being felt in cities across the country. The worst is yet to come. PETER LEMISKA - AND WE'RE ALREADY THERE!!!
Friday, May 15, 2020
JASON PARKER FROM OSSEO, WISCONSIN HELPING INJURED ANIMALS WITH WHEEL CHAIRS
When his beloved dog, Gunnar, was hit by a truck and left paralyzed, Jason Parker, from Osseo, Wisconsin, decided to fight for his canine’s life before inaugurating a non-profit organization in his name. Today, Jason provides wheelchairs for other injuredanimals in an effort to give them renewed joy and a new lease on life.
In an email interview with The Epoch Times, Jason shared his and Gunnar’s story.
“Gunnar was hit by a truck in February of 2014 and left a paraplegic,” Jason began. “We took him to the University of Minnesota for emergency surgery, but there was too much damage to his spine for him to make a full recovery.”
Jason and his wife, Stephanie, were offered by the veterinarians who treated Gunnar to have the dog put to sleep, but he refused to give up hope. Jason, a volunteer firefighter, maxed out the couple’s credit cards paying for surgery, boarding, and months of physical therapy for Gunnar, but it was to no avail; the dog’s hind legs were irreparably damaged.
Gunnar got a second chance at life. (Courtesy of Jason Parker)
‘Giving for Gunnar’
The devastated dog owner then took to researching options to improve Gunnar’s quality of life and discovered canine wheelchairs, but by then the couple had exhausted their funds. However, an article in a newspaper saved the day.
“A local newspaper contacted me after hearing about Gunnar’s story, which I had chronicled on social media, and wanted to do a story on him to run in the Sunday paper,” Jason explained. “The title of the story was ‘Giving for Gunnar.’”
“Without my knowledge they had set up an account in Gunnar’s name where people could donate to his ongoing care,” he continued. The couple then purchased Gunnar’s first $600 wheelchair with the donations, and by spring of 2014, Gunnar had regained his mobility.
“People from all over the reading area sent cards, money, and well wishes to a dog that they had never met,” Jason recalled. “It restored my faith in humanity.”
Jason reflected that Gunnar’s life was “full of joy” even after his accident. “The first time we put him into the wheelchair, his eyes lit up,” Jason said. “I will never forget that look, or the way it made me feel seeing the life come back into his eyes.”
Jason and Stephanie then decided that the best way to express gratitude to the community that had donated its hard-earned money to help their dog was to pay it forward by doing the very same thing for other animals in need. “I wanted to pay it forward to folks that were in our position, and shelter and rescue animals that needed a mobility device,” Jason explained.
Lukah, a golden retriever, is able to run all over the farm with the help of his new cart. (Courtesy of Jason Parker)
In August 2016, a pit mix stray named Hope, from Texas, became Jason’s first case. Hope had been hit by a vehicle and needed to get back on her feet, so Jason located a used wheelchair, purchased it, and shipped it to Hope’s caretakers. After a few months of rehabilitation, Hope was successfully adopted.
“Along with some great physical therapy,” said Jason, “she recovered and now runs freely without the need for the wheelchair.”
Soon after, a charity with a brand-new mission was born: Gunnar’s Wheels. “I wanted everyone involved to experience the same joy that Gunnar and I enjoyed while he was in his wheelchair,” Jason explained.
On a typical day, Jason rises early to read messages received overnight from owners and rescues. Describing the charity as a “lifetime loaner program,” Jason then matches returned wheelchairs with potential recipients based on their breed, weight, and body measurements.
“It costs nothing for rescues and granted owners,” Jason explained. “All we ask is that the chair is returned to us when finished with use, whether the animal passes away or recovers, so we can match it up with the next animal in need.”
Trotter gets a second chance at life. (Courtesy of Jason Parker)
Jason asks each owner to affix a photo and brief biography of their dog to their wheelchair before returning it so that each dog is remembered and the “pay it forward” philosophy becomes more tangible. “I believe it helps with the grieving process for the previous owner, and provides hope for the new recipient,” Jason reflected.
As of 2020, Gunnar’s Wheels has over 1,300 wheelchairs in its fleet and has helped almost 2,000 animals in need since 2016. Jason counted dogs, cats, goats, rabbits, a baby deer, a tortoise, and even an opossum among the charity’s many recipients.
Emmy Lou rolls again after her new set of wheels. (Courtesy of Jason Parker)
Success Stories
Among Jason’s favorite success stories is a German shepherd named Champ that survived distemper. The dog retained some motor control and was thus fitted with a four-wheeled chair called a quad that can be used for walks, play, and exercise. “We outfitted his cart with a handle,” Jason explained, “so his mom can help steer him clear of obstacles and help him maneuver through crowds.”
As Jason continues to help animals in need with his non-profit, his best piece of advice for anyone caring for a special-needs animal is simple: don’t be afraid to try new things. “Think outside the box to help you and your animal adapt to a new normal,” he advised. “Research and ask questions.”
Jason refers to the online community as family, explaining, “these folks are some of the best people you may or may not ever meet.”
“Gunnar was a magnificent animal, much like anyone’s animal,” Jason reflected. “There is a saying: ‘Everyone thinks their animal is the greatest, and none of them are wrong.’”
“My fondest memories of him were post-accident,” Jason continued. “We had a great life pre-accident, but post-accident is where he showed me the true meaning of strength, love, and compassion.”
(Video screenshot | Hope For Paws - Official Rescue Channel)
When one kindhearted person called for help after spotting an injured golden retriever lying unresponsive in the bushes, it was just in the nick of time. Although the rescuers couldn’t find any visible trauma, they knew something was “seriously wrong” with the dog.
Eldad Hagar and Loreta Frankonyte of the Los Angeles-based Hope for Paws dog-rescue organization responded to the call for help on March 6, 2020. They battled rush hour traffic to reach the dog in distress, and what they found when they arrived was the aftermath of a horrendous act of cruelty.
The golden retriever was cowering behind a row of bushes, lying down and seemingly unable to move. Eldad and Loreta cordoned off the area and attempted to approach the nervous dog.
“Hey, are you okay?” Eldad asked gently, approaching the dog in the rescue video. A kind local had placed a bowl of water and some dog biscuits near the injured animal, but the dog had left them untouched.
“His behavior,” the team explained in their footage, “indicated that something was seriously wrong.”
Loreta then approached and attempted to loop a leash around the injured dog’s neck. Together, the two rescuers succeeded in attaching the leash, and Eldad even managed to administer some comforting head scratches.
Eldad, who had a herniated disc in his back from lifting heavy dog crates, nonetheless managed to lift the seriously injured pup into the back of the rescue vehicle with Loreta. They named him Antonio and rushed him to visit their trusted veterinarian, Dr. Pedraza.
“He told us that looking at the ultrasound images, it looks like he was kicked really hard,” Eldad explained in the video description on YouTube.
“He didn’t believe that the dog was hit by a car because there were no signs of that,” Eldad wrote, “no road rash, no broken bones, no visible trauma that is always present in cases where dogs are hit by cars… it was a hit that injured his liver and spleen.”
An ultrasound revealed that Antonio was bleeding internally. The veterinarian predicted that had he not been rescued when he was, he would have bled out internally and died within hours.
Antonio had surgery to remove his spleen. He made an incredibly fast recovery in a foster home with Southern California’s The Little Red Dog. They also successfully found Antonio a loving forever family: the Van Dyks from Orange County.
“Toni Pepperoni,” as he is now affectionately known, spends his days playing ball and administering enthusiastic hand-licks rather than cowering in bushes, alone and afraid. Toni even has his very own Instagram page where the Van Dyks update their followers on their rescued pup’s wonderful, full life.
Since March 6, Antonio’s rescue footage has been viewed over 800,000 times. After the rescue was shared on Facebook, many animal lovers posted grateful comments for Eldad and Loreta, commending their efforts.
“I wish people would quit abusing these precious animals,” wrote one person, “they have feelings too, they deserve to be loved and be happy.”
“How can people be so heartless […] Thanks to the angels that do such a wonderful job,” wrote another.
“It would be hard for a dog that has been abused to trust someone,” another social media user commented. “Glad they found him and hope he finds [a forever] home that will always love him. He is a beautiful dog.”
From seriously injured and left to die to living his best life, Toni’s is a rescue story to be celebrated.
An encounter between a straydog and a pit bull with leash tied to a rail outside a shop turned into a daring rescue operation. Meanwhile, two witnesses filmed and posted the touching moment on Instagram, where it became a viral hit.
The hilarious clip was filmed by Dmitriy Timchenko, who noticed the touching scene taking place in front of him. It started in front of a shop in Novorossiysk, Russia; a white pit bull was quietly sitting tied to a fence and waiting for his owner to finish buying groceries. However, a stray dog walking past apparently thought its counterpart was in trouble and decided to take action.
In the touching video, the stray is seen putting in some serious effort to break his new friend free. The pit bull, however, seems ambivalent to its canine rescuer, patiently waiting and watching with curiosity—and that’s why it’s so cute! Such a show of courage, whether wanted or unwanted, is utterly adorable!
After several seconds, the clip shows the victorious stray dog, leashing in his mouth, trying to lead his new canine mate to safety. Initially, the pit bull looks hesitant to follow his rescuer but is soon convinced, and the two dogs trot off towards new adventures. How touching!
Timchenko, however, after filming the incident, went inside the store to alert the owner. She then recovered her dog from the heroic stray, putting an end to the two pups’ newfound friendship. As it turned out, it was all a misunderstanding. The owner never intended to abandon her pit bull tied to a rail to starve to death. She had just left him there for a few minutes while shopping!
“I’ve seen this stray dog around town many times,” Timchenko told The Dodo. “He always uses the crosswalk to cross the street. He’s a very smart dog.”
Such remarkable canine kindness did not go unnoticed on social media. The clip went viral and was picked up by several news outlets. And when NTD published it, many took to the Facebook comment section to commend the stray’s actions. Several commenters even questioned why that poor stray didn’t have his little place to call home.
“That poor stray dog, probably untied him, just so he could have a friend, and not be so lonely anymore I hope he found a loving home,” one comment read. While another added, “Oh, how sweet. Somebody go get that stray doggy and give it a home. And a family.”
A particularly funny comment remarked: “That dog’s name is Harriet Poochman. She will lead the enslaved dog’s to freedom. Leave it to man to feel he has to save this dog by enslaving it, when it obviously doesn’t mind having it’s freedom. They did the same thing to my people. Oh, we must save the wild savages!”
Watch the video:
Video credit: ViralHog
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(Video screenshot | Hope For Paws - Official Rescue Channel)
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