Animal House: Hawk rescue reveals critical rescuer shortage
By Julie Kerns Garmendia The bird, later identified as a red-shouldered hawk, lay motionless on its side, loosely cushioned by a soft cloth lining the bottom of a cardboard box. The terrified bird held its head up just enough to stare straight at the two adults and little girl watching over it, speaking in whispered […]
Animal House: Hey, Jude: Wolfson’s four-legged staffer celebrates 3rd birthday
By Julie Kerns Garmendia Jude, the most serenely calm dog one could meet, is Wolfson Children’s Hospital’s first facility service dog. He just celebrated his third birthday and first year on staff. The cream-colored golden retriever/Labrador mix enjoyed his “paw-ty” with pediatric patients, their families, and staff, all invited to “sit and stay” for the […]
Animal House: Five Star Veterans Center goes to the dogs…
…and cats…and ponies… The first clue that the Five Star Veterans Center is not a typical therapeutic counseling center is that CEO Col. Len Loving, USMC (Ret.), is shadowed everywhere he goes on the 3 ½ acre campus by a super-sized red German shepherd. Athena, the colonel’s silent best friend, was saved from a puppy […]
Animal House: Orphan kitten fosters save most at-risk shelter pets
Many visitors to local animal shelters are unaware that there is an ongoing crisis behind the scenes that surges during the spring and summer. Each day, orphaned kittens flood into shelters, and the harsh reality is that shelter staff cannot possibly care for all of them. And while shelter volunteers provide invaluable help, the greatest […]
Animal House: Jacksonville Gallops into Action with American Wild Mustangs
Wild mustangs still freely roam on U.S. public rangelands. Yet, readers may be unaware that these living symbols of America’s rich, Western pioneer and frontier history also live around Jacksonville. They were obtained through a U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) federal program that manages wild herds. Wild mustangs and burros (or donkeys) are defined […]
Yannuzzi and Patriot: Bringing Home the Missing
By the time local news stations began reporting that an 11-year-old child was missing, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) Officer Anthony Yannuzzi and his tracking bloodhound K9, Patriot, were already on the hunt. “When we arrived, the child’s scent was already over an hour old. Once K9 Patriot was given the scent, he took off and […]
Animal House: Michael Bricker: Animal Care & Protective Services’ New Top Dog
Florida newcomer Michael “Mike” Bricker’s optimism and positivity was as welcome as his arrival in September 2023 when he took over as the new chief at Duval County Animal Care & Protective Services (ACPS). When Bricker first arrived, he noted the shelter’s lobby donation bins were often empty. While they are now overflowing with much-needed […]
Animal House: FEATHER: A Second-Chance Champion
Feather is a regal, brindle-colored racing greyhound. Alone in the shelter at approximately one year old, she no history except a tattooed ear. She was assumed to have likely failed on the racetrack like countless other greyhounds and given away, but unlike the other dogs who often met worse fates, this “failed” dog became an […]
