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Roy Page, left, and Toby Springate, right, visit with four dogs they rescued and brought to the Beirut animal shelter. Photo by Julian Prictoe, NBC News.
Such a clichéd title for the tale I’m about to tell. Almost a year ago I found myself in New Orleans, covering Hurricane Katrina. It was the most heart-wrenching and emotionally disturbing assignment I have ever had.
In the terrible aftermath and weeks that followed, no matter how tired or dispirited our team got, they would come home to our make-shift camp, and rejoice in the companionship of three rescued critters: Katrina the kitten, Freeway the overgrown puppy, who was such a ham, and Storm, the pit bull pup that stole our hearts. We had become, over the weeks, a way station for all sorts, human and animal.
This month, I have been in Lebanon, covering the war, and now the tenuous cease-fire. During the fighting, we had an operation in Tyre, that most ancient of cities, in southern Lebanon. Yet again, as is always the case on these stories, we had a camp. NBC set up at the Rest House, a hotel that had seen better days even before the war hit.
We were there, along with the rest of the press corps, at the total mercy of the hotel "manager," possibly the most seedy, dodgy and slimy individual anyone could ever remember encountering. Our make-shift office was the abandoned dive shop at this ramshackle Mediterranean resort. Our satellite dish sat on the terrace, and our correspondent, producer, crew and engineer slept wherever they could, ate whatever we could send them and enjoyed a cold beer whenever they could find one.
Every day they went out into southern Lebanon and witnessed the awful, grim realities of war. And every night they would come back to base to the stray animals that lived in the beach sand and rubble and filth around the hotel.
I have often wondered over the years, why we in the press always seem to be rescuing animals. I have been asked, sometimes accusingly, whether I think animals matter more than people. I think it really boils down to size.
When you cover these tragic events, you can’t take it on. You can’t solve it. You can’t begin to stop it, and most times you can’t even make real sense of it. You are far from home, far from the kinder, quieter aspects of your life. And you bear witness to all the madness around you. Then, you find these small rays of light -- just a kitten or a puppy, that looks at you and you can help, so you do.
In the Middle East, the lot of any animal is a bad one. For dogs especially, the odds are really bad. Our four pups and their mom (who’s had her ears cut off, just for starters) lived, as near as we can tell, on the beach. We named them Mum, Spot-on-Nose, Scruffy, Blondie and Snooze. It was blisteringly hot on the sand, and the dogs would hunt for whatever shade they could, drinking fetid water and eating scraps.
The day that one hotel employee picked up a large umbrella stand and started hitting the pups while they were fast asleep (and I mean really hitting), the NBC team went ballistic. I will spare you the delicate exchange of words that was had, but suffice to say –- afterwards we became the official guardians of those pups and their mother!
When we closed our operation in Tyre, after the cease-fire had been announced, Roy Page and Toby Springate, a lovely British crew, knew what they had to do. Roy and Toby had become the official mentors of the lads. There was no doubt in their minds, or ours, that the five dogs would meet with a very untimely end the minute we departed the Rest House.
So Roy and Toby swung into action. They loaded up the family -- all the while our producers were scrambling to find a shelter for the hounds -- and headed north. So began their journey up to the only humane society in the entire country. Their first time in a car and not an "accident" between them!
Toby and Roy went to visit their charges in Beirut yesterday. They are settling in very nicely at BETA, the Beirut Ethical Treatment of Animals shelter in the hills above the city.
There we found Joelle El Massih and Helena Hesayne, gamely running the volunteer shelter -- one for dogs, and another for cats. The shelter has 160 dogs in it now, and the ladies have assured us that all have already got homes to go to in the U.S.A. So our rescued family will be going to good, caring homes where they will be loved. Roy and Toby are at the end of their assignment now, and they were quite misty-eyed when they came back in from their visit.
Photo caption: Roy Page plays with Spot-on-Nose, Scruffy, Blondie and Snooze at the Beirut Ethical Treatment of Animals shelter. Photo by Julian Prictoe, NBC News.
Twenty-five years ago, when I was a lot younger, I was here in Lebanon, covering the end of the civil war and the Israeli invasion.
A camera crew from London, Ken Ludlow and John Hall, rescued a small puppy in a city park. The park had been bombed, and the puppy had lived through it. His coat was still smoldering when the crew found him.
We named him Cease-fire, because at the time, they could never keep one. We did a piece on Cease-fire that morning, on the Today Show. He was adopted by a family in Seattle. NBC was there when he landed in Tacoma, Wash. I like to think Cease-fire had the best life, from his hard beginning. I know Toby and Roy want the same life for Mum, Spot-on-Nose, Scruffy, Blondie and Snooze.
Faces from the Gulf: Steven Smith
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Our Humane Duty to Animals. Blog story: Lebanons Dogs of War First, thank you to the NBC people for taking the time and having the heart to care. So, after reading this article, especially the line do you think animals matter more than people?, I thought to ...
Posted on Aug 24, 2006 1:06:22 PM at: Where Am I And Why?
Blessings to you and all those who rescue and care for our furry friends. They bleed from a pumping heart, feel pain as humans do and feel their emotions much more than we do. It's a terrible thing that they suffer the cruel hands of injustice dealt to them by the ones who would harm them. if there is any chance that I can adopt one or two or three or help find them good homes, my heart and home are open. Thank you for the loving care you offer them.
Tamara Bonneru, Kennewick WA. (Sent Sep 26, 2006 3:40:17 AM)
Sorry, we're still up to our eyebrows in Katrina's homeless pets (AND people). I don't think it's right to import homeless dogs/cats from other countries, much as I hate to see them suffer.
Victor, Savannah, GA (Sent Sep 25, 2006 4:56:13 PM)
This is so wonderful. I wish the human race had this kind of compassion for other humans.
ZMan, Atlanta GA (Sent Sep 25, 2006 3:16:37 PM)
Awesome! Thank you so much for helping the animals!
T.Watson, Phoenix, AZ (Sent Sep 25, 2006 9:46:47 AM)
Kudos to the crew of MSNBC for their kindness in a desperate situation. As someone else mentioned, the animals are often forgotten, even in the US. If MSNBC wants to cover a story no one talks about, it would be the senseless killing on a daily basis of Lovely,adoptable animals at shelters across the country because of lack of space, funds, or good homes for the animals.
J M Engle, Silver Spring, MD (Sent Sep 6, 2006 10:38:57 PM)
Bless you all for the compassion you show in the face of terrible tragedy which affects EVERY living thing.............
PK Jones-Napier (Sent Sep 1, 2006 11:37:09 AM)
I know you've heard it before in all of the other posts, but have add too being an animal lover. Thank god for people like you guys. Thank you for saving those poor dogs.
cathy, NY, NY (Sent Aug 30, 2006 8:31:43 PM)
A heartwarming story, my loving friend Buster, a 70# pit bull, was apparently considered unloved and unwanted. his "family" just stopped by the side of the road, opened their vehicle door, let him out and drove off. I can't understand people who would do that, however their trash is my treasure. thank you again for your caring.
jan Oroville, WA (Sent Aug 28, 2006 5:37:31 PM)
MSNBC has some exceptional people on its crews. It also has a new viewer. Thank you for this story.
Liz Cook, Davis, California (Sent Aug 26, 2006 2:20:37 PM)
THE CRUELTY NEVER SEEMS TO END BUT THANK GOD YOU WERE THERE TO END IT THIS TIME......THEIR PAIN IS REAL TOO....THEY ARE NOT LESS VALUABLE BECAUSE THEY HAVE 4 LEGS....WHEN ARE WE GOING TO REALIZE ALL LIFE IS SACRED ,ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE MOST HELPLESS......BLESS YOU
(Sent Aug 26, 2006 9:35:28 AM)
Olivia, here's a piece for you: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14412674/
Katherine, San Diego, CA (Sent Aug 25, 2006 8:58:00 PM)
How can anyone be critical of compassion? All life should be treaured and protected when possible.
Angela Cuillard, Salt Lake, Ut. (Sent Aug 25, 2006 5:23:44 PM)
To the news crews who take the time and effort to help these innocent helpless creatures...You are wonderful. Thank you for making sure these furry boys and girls got a chance for a better life.
(Sent Aug 25, 2006 3:19:57 PM)
In May, 2006, I went to an animal shelter in Port Washington, NY, looking for a small dog for my animal friendly home. You wouldn't believe the questioning and proof I had to give, to say nothing of the cost. Finally, I adopted Tiny Toto, who is now a saved and happy pooch. It was inconceivable that many loved dogs were taken from their owners in a Province in China and murdered. I was sickened by the horrible pictures of these innocent dogs who had no rights.
Myrna Wittlin, Forest Hills, NY (Sent Aug 25, 2006 2:25:32 PM)
Thank you for bringing this story to us. These precious lives that are there for us to love and be loved by. I love my three at home and miss them now while I am at work and am reminded how much I love them and want to protect them when I read stories like this.
Cherisse Murphree, Tulsa, Ok (Sent Aug 25, 2006 1:48:46 PM)
Awesome story and a touching one to say the least!! Thanks!!
(Sent Aug 25, 2006 11:05:01 AM)
(I hope MSNBC will allow this post. This is NOT a plea for donations, only a reply and info for those who asked in this MSNBC comments thread about how to donate to BETA. I am NOT affiliated with BETA or BEST FRIENDS shelter.)
For those of you who asked how you can donate to BETA, here is their website address:
http://animals.beirut.com/index.php
They are working with the BEST FRIENDS Animal Shelter in Utah, in trying to get the animals to the USA.
You can also read further stories about BETA's work in Lebanon on the BEST FRIENDS animal shelter website:
http://network.bestfriends.org/middleeast/news/
Mark Hodie, Aspen, CO (Sent Aug 25, 2006 3:16:28 AM)
Thank you so much for being a caring person. The sad part is you are an exception and not the norm. What a messed up world we live in!
(Sent Aug 25, 2006 12:21:44 AM)
as a pit bull owner and Search and Rescue volunteer (also down in the wake of katrina) i am ESPECIALLY grateful for what you folks have done. you see the devastation of cultural ideas towards animals, natural disaster and war. i and others see it too through much of the same except substitue war with BSL (a kind of witch hunt war on certain dogs). and yes, we do what what we can one step at a time, or one small size at a time! THANK YOU, MAY YOU REMAIN/RETURN SAFE and EAR RUBS FOR THE PUPS! my dogs' (two are from katrina!) and my thoughts and blessings are with you all...
molly gibb, colorado/oklahoma (Sent Aug 24, 2006 9:54:32 PM)
Thank you for helping the animals! And thank you for publicizing their plight. If people knew that war is more than missiles and guns, soldiers and bombed buildings--if they knew that it was innocent victims, animals and humans alike, homeless, starving, terrified--it would be a big first step to ending the insanity known as "war." Please keep writing about the animals.
Susan Gottfried, State College, PA (Sent Aug 24, 2006 8:34:12 PM)
Even though we all know that human misery must be at the forefront of stories that are reported, those of us who love our animal friends truly appreciate the reporting of the "other" casualties of wars and natural disasters. NBC can be very proud of their compassionate employees, who show great care for the two-legged and four-legged beings of the world -- keep up the great work!
Lynn, Olympia, WA (Sent Aug 24, 2006 8:09:39 PM)
To those of you looking to adopt these dogs please, if you have space in your home to take in an animal go to your nearest human society or animal shelter and adopt one. There are plenty of dogs and cats in the US who are treated poorly and need a loving home.
Jane San Francisco, CA (Sent Aug 24, 2006 6:24:50 PM)
Thanks so much to you all! Someone has to look out for the animals who cannot ask for help. People who are cruel to animals are also able to be cruel to humans. We need to be kind to every living creature here on earth in order to find true peace. God Bless you for helping those doggies!
(Sent Aug 24, 2006 6:04:05 PM)
The pet industry in the United States and in other countries such as Great Britain provides millions of dollars annually in jobs and goods and services. Even those who don't care for the welfare of animals cannot deny that pets can be a major contributor to a nation's economy. We have to work with the Humane Society of the United States, PETA and other animal rights organizations to see that there is a massive effort towards educating the world about the responsibility of mankind towards animals. I think animals could be a big step towards promoting peace among nations. They provide unconditional love, therapy, and teach kindness and respect. Please post the address of the Beirut animal shelter so that they may receive contributions.
Carlin Galger Milwaukee WI (Sent Aug 24, 2006 5:59:19 PM)
I read this and cried - with all the horrible news lately it's heartwarming to hear a tale of compassion for those who are most often forgotten, the animals. I am an animal lover and volunteer at a local humane society. And I am absolutely furious about the mass dog slaughter in China - what can we do? And how can we help more animals around the world? Thank you to MSNBC for featuring animal stories that many other news sites wouldn't bother with. Animals are too often the innocent victims of man's evil, and stories like these absolutely deserve our attention.
Jennifer Ollanketo, Oshkosh, WI (Sent Aug 24, 2006 5:05:09 PM)
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