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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?
Thank you so much for your compassion and caring spirit. I can never understand how people can mistreat poor, innocent animals who are so dependent on humans for their needs.
Adair Leonard, Sacramento, CA (Sent Aug 24, 2006 4:28:25 PM)
As the song goes . . . bless the beasts and the children for they have no choice. . . they have no voice.
Thanks to folks like the MSNBC crew and the Brit crew, some of the stories of those without a voice will be heard after all. You've turned a story of hopelessness into one of hope. Any way people can donate to BETA to help them with supplies?
Tessa MacGregor (Sent Aug 24, 2006 4:26:16 PM)
Its so refreshing to hear about something as truly amazing as you guys. You are hero's in the eye's of all dog lovers. I hope you will get updates on how the dogs are doing. Thank you for caring so much!!!
Jackie Pepper, Rochester, Ny (Sent Aug 24, 2006 4:25:46 PM)
Stories like these make me want to rush home and hug my wonderful dog, Teddy, and never let go.
Anyone interested in helping the dogs in China, the Humane Society of the United States has offered the Chinese Government vaccines, and they have a petition/form letter you can send to the Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. regarding this tragedy, asking them to stop it. Go to their website: hsus.org
And thank you Heather and the rest of the crew for risking your lives to bring the news home to us, and for saving lives while doing so.
Linda Hartmann, Indianapolis IN (Sent Aug 24, 2006 4:12:05 PM)
Once again, MSNBC has had the interest and compassion to tell us some good news regarding animals. This story made my day. I will keep looking for more reports like this. All true lovers of animals THANK YOU, Heather, Roy, Toby and everyone else involved in informing We the People!
J G Fleming, Willseyville, NY (Sent Aug 24, 2006 3:52:35 PM)
This is great and all, but it just goes to show how the US press is a failure. Humanitarian disasters and we get stories on dogs. Is it going to take animal cruelty in Sudan to get you over there? How about the crisis that is our healthcare system? I guess that will only matter when it's dogs that can't get medications. But wait, we'll cover that after we talk about Britney Spears' latest pregnancy..
(Sent Aug 24, 2006 3:52:24 PM)
Where they been hiding you Heather? Excellent tear jerking piece of journalisim. I think there is a real void in getting the stories out that need to be told. So much attention is committed to the political angle. But is not the suffering the true story? Isnt that what politics are supposed to be about? To manage, help and promote progress? Again, well done Heather and thank you both, Roy and Toby, for allowing us to hear reality, cold and harsh as it may be.
Abbey Southport, CT (Sent Aug 24, 2006 3:32:01 PM)
Finally a story that shows people being humane. The media bombards people with wars, suicide bombers, murder and slutty socialites. It's amazing how a story about man's best friend can take us all away from that mayhem.
Paul Sheridan, Hawkestone, Ontario, Canada (Sent Aug 24, 2006 3:28:49 PM)
Someone needed to take that thing that he was beating those dogs with and beat him with it. Hopefully - he wound up getting his (what goes around comes around) Thank goodness for you - what a blessing you are. I wish there were more people in the world that cared about the animals out here. Just like our children they were not put here to be abused, tortured or taken advantage of. God Bless you, the children and the animals.
Linda Layden, Baltimore, Maryland (Sent Aug 24, 2006 2:04:52 PM)
Thank you so much for your kindness to these precious, innocent animals - You truly have a gentle spirit!
May God bless you both -
M Wilson, Nashville, TN (Sent Aug 24, 2006 2:00:39 PM)
Thanks guys for a job well done. I admire your gentle spirit. Such precious little dogs - They deserve the best!
(Sent Aug 24, 2006 1:58:20 PM)
God Bless y'all and thank you for caring.
Is there a way to find out how to adopt?
Jeanie McClain, Memphis, TN (Sent Aug 24, 2006 1:56:18 PM)
With everything else I read about animal cruelty on, it seems, a daily basis, this was really heartwarming to read.
Now could you please help those poor dogs being strangled and beaten in China...?
M, Cleveland, Ohio (Sent Aug 24, 2006 1:56:11 PM)
God bless you, those lucky puppies & their mommy
chris fredette syracuse,ny (Sent Aug 24, 2006 1:43:20 PM)
I was afraid to click on this story given the horrid news out of China. But, I was pleasantly surprised and completely heart-warmed by your story.
Thank you for being caring and kind.
Danette Riddle (Sent Aug 24, 2006 1:35:32 PM)
Thank God for you and your kindness! Thank you for doing something for these helpless creatures instead of doing the easy thing and turning a blind eye. Please keep looking after them!!
Cindy Miszuk, Akron, OH (Sent Aug 24, 2006 1:26:10 PM)
Thank God for you and your kindness! Thank you for doing something for these helpless creatures instead of doing the easy thing and turning around. Please keep looking after them!!
Cindy Miszuk, Akron, OH (Sent Aug 24, 2006 1:23:46 PM)
Thank you so much for taking care of these pups. More attention needs to be given to the welfare of animals. I do not understand why they are treated so badly in various parts of the world, and even in seemingly "developed" countries. It would behoove all of us to show more compassion for any creature that is basically at our mercy. The news media could go a long way in promoting this type of sensibility. I'm always astonished to see how little attention is given to the plight of animals, and just how abundant the ignorance at all levels of some apparently "advanced" societies is about the proper care of animals. In other societies, animals are commonly treated like trash (or food) and pressure should be brought to bear to stop such inhumane behavior.
Tina Sessions, Charleston, SC (Sent Aug 24, 2006 1:04:59 PM)
may a thousand camels crap on the guy beating the
poor animals!
mickey golden, rochester mn (Sent Aug 24, 2006 12:42:59 PM)
Such a touching story. I too am an animal lover and have rescued countless animals. Thank you for bringing this story to everyones attention.
Debbe Hudman, Albany, Texas (Sent Aug 24, 2006 12:41:30 PM)
God Bless you for having the compassion to take care of these helpless innocent creatures!
Linda L Dumont, NJ (Sent Aug 24, 2006 12:35:19 PM)
Thank God some one over there has a heart!
(Sent Aug 24, 2006 12:27:50 PM)
A wonderful, touching story. Kudos to the Press for helping in this humane way.
(Sent Aug 24, 2006 12:17:43 PM)
Thank you for your kindness
(Sent Aug 24, 2006 12:16:21 PM)
Thanks for caring for our furry friends!
(Sent Aug 24, 2006 12:02:49 PM)
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