What do a neglected and abused dog, a good-hearted punk rocker, and Las Vegas have in common?
To find out, keep reading! There are also 3 videos at the bottom show her progress and happy ending too.
Insight Animal Rescue is an animal rescue located in southern California founded by Mia Anelli, a professional photographer and independent animal rescuer. Insight Animal rescue, a non-profit rescue, runs on private donations and adopter donations. Not breed particular or cute dog inclined, she tries to pull out the animals who need it the most. We do our best to provide every animal we pull out of the shelter the tools they need to make their 2nd chance at a home the last chance they will ever need. From medical care to a good bath. Pugs to pit bulls, from labs to lap dogs. Dogs with 3 legs and dogs with one eye. The puppies and the seniors. The miniatures and the mastiffs. The perfectly healthy and happy-go-lucky and the scared and abused. They are all welcome here at Insight Animal Rescue. The Insight Animal Rescues founder is also a shelter volunteer and has done many things to improve Los Angeles Animal Shelters.
Image by: mia.anelli
Flora was dumped as an owner surrender to a high kill animal shelter animal shelter in Los Angeles. The people (and I use the term 'people' loosely - more like monsters) brought Flora to the shelter thinking they had done nothing wrong. They had no understanding, or maybe just didn't care, that the horrific way they had made Flora live for years was a inexcusable act of cruelty. They told the shocked animal control officers that they used her as a breeding dog and that that her leg had been broken or injured a year ago and they didn't fix it. Instead, they just made her have more puppies as her leg became more lame and mangled. They couldn't care less that their treatment of Flora made her life hell. Even worse - when they dumped her into the shelter, she was pregnant.
Image by: mia.anelli
Thank goodness her owners were as ignorant as they were evil. Their own words and accounts of how they treated Flora and everything they said that day at the shelter was all used against them in the city's animal cruelty case.
Flora's story could have ended there. If not for Mia Anelli, founder of Insight Animal Rescue, she would have been euthanized at the shelter without ever knowing the love that she deserved.
Flora's story could have ended there. If not for Mia Anelli, founder of Insight Animal Rescue, she would have been euthanized at the shelter without ever knowing the love that she deserved.
Flora met Cher the first night out of the shelter
Image by: mia.anelli
Mia had come to the shelter to rescue another dog and didn't even know that Flora was tucked away there in the back medical room kennels. Lucky for everyone, the dog Mia had intended to pull was rescued by another group only an hour prior to Mia arriving at the shelter, so Mia asked the shelter's New Hope Coordinator (and Animal Angel in her own right) Veronica P. if there were any other pups that needed rescuing that she could recommend. Without hesitation, Veronica took Mia to Flora's kennel.. And without hesitation, Mia knew she would be taking Flora home.
Image by: mia.anelli
In her kennel at the shelter, Flora's spirits were crushed and her eyes told a story of loss and sadness. But once she was in the arms of her rescuer, it was like she knew things were going to be different. That she was allowed to be a puppy for the first time
Image by: mia.anelli
Insight animal rescue is a small non-profit rescue. Mia basically runs it herself and has done amazing things with the limited resources and funding she can get. Taking on a pup that needed immediate and expensive medical care is never easy, but with the help of insight's donators and Dr. Kenneth Jones, an amazing vet in Santa Monica who allowed Mia to pay the $1000 vet bill in payments, Flora's future was looking hopeful.
Image by: mia.anelli
The $1000 vet bill was for the leg amputation surgery. By not treating Flora's injury for over a year, her previous owners allowed her leg to become beyond salvageable.
She thankfully transitioned seamlessly from 4 legs to 3. She wasn't able to use the leg for so long that her mobility seemed to improve once the dead weight was removed.
She thankfully transitioned seamlessly from 4 legs to 3. She wasn't able to use the leg for so long that her mobility seemed to improve once the dead weight was removed.
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
When it comes to dogs like Flora, their emotional recovery can be just as daunting as the physical one. The first weeks in a new home are critical. It was like karma was smiling on this lil' girl because the Foster home Mia found for Flora to live in while she recovered from surgery was perfect. They showed flora how it really feels to be a part of a loving family. They loved her and she loved them.
Once she had recovered and was ready to start meeting possible adopters, it was Mia's job to find the right kind of home and adopters for Flora. And whether she had lots of interest or not, Mia was planning on being very picky.
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
Once she had recovered, she was ready to start meeting possible adopters. It was Mia's job to find the right kind of home and adopters for Flora. And whether she had lots of interest or not, Mia was planning on being very picky.
Rob Ruckus of Bad Ink
Image by: mia.anelli
One night while Mia sat at home watching TV, a show called Bad Ink was playing on A&E. It was a reality show about a tattoo artist and his sidekick who help fix bad tattoos. Rob Ruckus, the show's sidekick, is hilarious and a lot of the show is about him just being awesome. Mia was overjoyed to see that, in this episode, Rob Ruckus was looking to adopt a dog from the Las Vegas Animal Shelter. Cameras followed him into the shelter and filmed him meeting and playing with the dogs.
Then Rob told a shelter worker that he is looking to adopt an odd-ball dog. A 3 legs, one eye kinda dog. The dogs that most wouldn't dare consider. The shelter didn't have the dog he was looking for and he vowed to keep looking.
Then Rob told a shelter worker that he is looking to adopt an odd-ball dog. A 3 legs, one eye kinda dog. The dogs that most wouldn't dare consider. The shelter didn't have the dog he was looking for and he vowed to keep looking.
Image by: mia.anelli
A light bulb went off in Mia's head. She sent Rob Ruckus a Facebook message about Flora and her 3 legs hoping that he would be interested in her. Rob fell head over heels for Flora but since the show had taped, Rob had taken in a senior, toothless min pin who needed all of his attention. However, he said he knew of the perfect family for Flora and from there the wheels of Flora's journey home started to turn.
After speaking with Rob Ruckus's friend on the phone, it was obvious that she sounded too perfect to not make the 5 hour drive through the desert from L.A. to Vegas to have Flora meet Lisa, her daughter and their other rescue dog, Angel. Or was it Princess? Anyways, they were all eager to meet Flora too.
Image by: mia.anelli
So Flora and Hope Wallen set out for Las Vegas. Hope had adopted another handicap dog from Insight animal rescue almost a year prior and had become friends with Mia ever since. She was off the weekend and she had a car so she was enlisted to help.
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
After a few minutes of getting-to-know-you sniffs by Flora, she decided that she liked Lisa and her gang and that this home was a perfect fit. Mia's shot in the dark had hit the target and the target was a loving forever home.
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
Flora hasn't taken up gambling since moving to Las Vegas. Instead, she spends her days playing with kids and even jumping on trampolines. That's right, this once-neglected, injured and discarded pup is a now a 3-legged wonder dog with a family made up of her biggest fans. We knew she deserved love and now she is surrounded by it.
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
Image by: mia.anelli
Oh, and Flora's adopters even paid for Mia and Hope to stay at Bally's Hotel for the night and have a Lil mini Vegas vacation. No, they didn't win any jackpots at the casinos, but it's a sure bet that Flora hit the jackpot of forever homes.
Image by: mia.anelli
To help us to continue to save the lives of animals like Flora, consider making a donation. Thank you.
To make a donation to insight animal rescue you can PayPal email. Insightpetadoptions@yahoo.com or send an email for more info on other ways to donate or help.
To make a donation to insight animal rescue you can PayPal email. Insightpetadoptions@yahoo.com or send an email for more info on other ways to donate or help.
Thank-you's are as follows:
Mia Anelli - the rescuer
Paige Hopkins - the foster mommy
Kenneth dale Jones and Suzann s. Jones - vet and his wife
Rob Ruckus - punk rocker lookin out for the pups
Hope Wallen - rescue helper and driver
Lisa Davidson- the happily ever after to Floras story-
Mia Anelli - the rescuer
Paige Hopkins - the foster mommy
Kenneth dale Jones and Suzann s. Jones - vet and his wife
Rob Ruckus - punk rocker lookin out for the pups
Hope Wallen - rescue helper and driver
Lisa Davidson- the happily ever after to Floras story-
INSIGHT ANIMAL RESCUE RUNS ON DONATIONS MADE BY THE PUBLIC. Your donations are used solely for the purpose of rescuing and caring for the animals we save. to make a donation via paypal use email : insightpetadoptions@yahoo.com
Or use our you caring funding site to donate.
https://www.youcaring.com/insightanimalrescue
Thank you
Or use our you caring funding site to donate.
https://www.youcaring.com/insightanimalrescue
Thank you