THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Dogs arriving at an animal shelter is usually a sad story. But the mood is more like Christmas morning as staff at the Washington Animal Rescue League wait for the Rescue Waggin’ truck to open its doors.

The people and the animals have never met, but some greet like old friends. A basset shoots out to lick a face. Jodie Martin holds a small black puppy, one of the almost 40 dogs that she and the driver picked up that morning from two shelters in Ohio, and kisses it on the head before she hands it over. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PetSmart Charities is on the scene of a large-scale animal rescue effort in Wisconsin, ensuring hundreds of rescued pets have enough food and supplies.

The animal-rescue effort began yesterday and continued today in Cazenovia, Wis., where more than 350 animals including dogs, horses, fowl, livestock and other small animals were taken from a self-described “animal rescue and sanctuary.” (more…)

MARKETWIRE

PHOENIX, AZ — At about noon today, a PetSmart Charities Emergency Relief Waggin’ trailer, stocked with at least 16 tons of much-needed pet food and supplies, was deployed from the PetSmart Distribution Center in Phoenix, Ariz., to the Santa Barbara Humane Society to assist pets who have been displaced or injured by the Jesusita Fire in Santa Barbara County. (more…)

MARKETWIRE

PHOENIX — PetSmart Charities has dispatched a fleet of Emergency Relief Waggins’ — each stocked with 16 tons of supplies valued at $50,000 — to the Gulf Coast to help pets displaced by Hurricane Gustav and to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Hanna.

By coordinating relief efforts with local and state officials in Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas, the PetSmart Charities emergency response team is ensuring that necessary supplies for animals, and their caregivers are quickly delivered to the hardest-hit areas. (more…)