out with their pets. we try and run it pretty much like a regular veterinary hospital. so they' ll come in through the reception area, check in, tell us what their chief complaints are. then the pet will have a physical examination, and then we can take care of whatever health needs they have, you know, vaccines, deworming, flea preventative. we can do laboratory testing, blood work. vet: perfect. it' s not your ears that' s the problem. mmm. dave: all the pets, we do require that they' re spayed and/or neutered, so we drew all bloods before that and then schedule them for elective surgeries and dentistries. alana: i walked in at 7:00 this morning. there was already people waiting outside. we open at 8:00. and we had about 20 people waiting already. re helping here are people who have been deeply traumatized, a lot of times during their childhood, and certainly by their experience of homelessness. and their animals are often the only connection they have to another living thing. their animals are extremely, extremely

woman; i know, baby girl. you' re ok. alana: i know for me, personally--i' m not in that kind of a situation, but my animals are so important to me. but i don' t think it holds a candle to what it is to people who have lost everything. so the fact that we' re able to help their animals and help them continue the bond and the connection, support they get from their animals, is so important. woman: i' m here because cassidy has an eye infection, and she' s had it for about a month, and i want to make sure that she' s ok. i don' t want her to go blind. i want her to be treated for it. i' m living on the streets. i' ve been on the streets for 9 years. and i can' t get work anymore. i' m not willing to give up my dogs for anything. i' m trying to get placed now. and they' re my life. they' re my children. and i won' t give them up. woman: i came to bring in kobe, who was pulling out his hair. kobe is my companion. kobe' s my

these people are so nice. the doctors are always very attentive. i can' t believe that these doctors are actually giving their time to help out less fortunate animals. and if this place wasn' t here, i don' t know what i would do. if it wasn' t for this place, there' s a lot of animals that would be sick and not have anyplace to go. tina: we also work quite closely with my friends place, which is a youth access center, and we see many of their pets each month. and we are definitely making a difference with the youth population in the los angeles area by being able to give their pets care, ' cause those are the kids that come to the access center that are actually on the streets, and they come to the access center during the day and are on the streets at night, and we' re able to provide care with the pets that they have with them that keep them safe, keep them warm at night. marty: we' re all here together

for a good cause, and it just-- it' s actually something i look forward to. a job is something you go whether you want to or not. this is all volunteer. vet: you' re done! woman: congratulations. liz: if we didn' t have this clinic, if we didn' if we didn' t do this for these animals, there aren' t a lot of other options. i mean, they might try and treat them themselves with something over the counter or something they heard worked, but they wouldn' t have access to medicine and diagnostic treatments and things like that. man: is that better? dave: the people are so appreciative of what we' re doing, and you know, you can see the bond that they have with their animals, and it' s really nice to be able to help them keep that bond going. woman: i' m not sure if she has a fractured bone or not. she just started putting weight-- a little weight on it. she has a little hole here that looks like maybe an abscess healed, and there' s kind of a bump here, so i don' t... vet: she does have some swelling

that. so it could be that she had an infection, or it could be there was some inflammation or damage to the bone. she has all of her adult teeth, and she has quite a bit of wear on her teeth, so she' s somewhere between 3 and 5, i would say, somewhere in that range. she' s doing pretty good. it looks like she may have...gotten into a fight and someone bit her right on the--one of the bones of the forearm, and she has quite a bit of swelling here of the bone. and so i don' t know if it was a fracture or just have an infection of the bone. i think what we' re going to do at this point is start her on antibiotics and anti-inflammatories and pain medicine. woman: ok. vet: and then, if in a month--we check her back in a month, if we' re not significantly improved, then we' ll schedule x-rays of her leg as well. woman: ok. vet: ok? jill: this is a community for a lot of our clients. this is

of them who have an incredibly anxiety-filled life. and this is where they come to see people who care about them and who appreciate them and don' t judge them. we' re here for the animals. the people happen to be attached to them. but the people feel comfortable that we love their animals as much as they do. alex: our amazing story continues right after this brief

alex: we now continue with our amazing "animal rescue" story. tina: hope veterinary center is a veterinary clinic for pets of the homeless in the greater los angeles area, and we provide free veterinary care to those people that are homeless. woman: i' m here because i lost my place. i was no longer able to pay rent. and so, with the animals here, i had no place to go. and so now we sleep in--sometimes, we sleep in the van. dave: so i' m gonna give you one of these. this is a flea thing to--flea medication to put on her in a month. woman: ok, great. alana: we' re not doing this to get paid back. we' re doing it because we want to. and a lot of people don' t understand that all of us are volunteers. nobody gets paid here. and so, this is not just a once-a-month volunteer position. this is like

a full-time job. frank: what liz is doing is taking the syringe out of the package. and there' s a small chip that' s about the size of a grain of rice in the barrel of the needle. and then, we' re going to place that needle under the skin and inject the microchip. and then we' ll scan it to prove that it' s there. if they get lost, all veterinarians and all shelters have the microchip reader, which is this right here, the microchip reader. and then we' ll be able to determine who owns the pet from the reader. woman: that' s not nice. frank: we' re going to go ahead and scan it now, make sure it' s there. [beeps] woman: there. frank: see, there' s her unique number right there. this chip has saved so many lives that would--otherwise, dogs or cats end up in the shelter, they' ll be euthanized. liz: even cats that are strictly indoor cats, we usually will microchip them, because if an earthquake happens, or if somebody comes and opens the door and the cat runs out and gets away, we have a way of

getting them back to their owner. it' s a very good thing. dave: one of the things that people have done is supplied us with pet foods. and so, we' ve got a variety of cat foods, dog foods, dry, canned. a lot of the folks, they would rather feed their pet than feed themselves. and so usually, every time they come in, we try and make sure that they go home with some type of food item. a lot of the folks here who are working with hope will repackage it so we can send it home in packages that are probably more accommodating for our clients who are living on the street or living out in their car. j.j.: so we' ve done our initial examination of molly. we detected a pretty big swelling on her head. it' s sort of hard to see unless you' re really close by, but she' s got a big swelling under her ear right here. it' s very painful for her. she doesn' t like it to be touched. we looked in her ear. and she definitely has an ear infection, so that may or may not be involved. woman: i brought my dog in for a follow-up from a head injury

last month. i literally would not be able to afford her vet bills without this group here. j.j.: this medicine, it tastes like--it' s a treat flavor, so you really want to hide it from her so she doesn' t get into the bottle and eat all of it. and that could be toxic, ok? so you have this, and you have your antibiotics right here. right? ok? and that should at least help for pain and infection. liz: when you volunteer for something of this caliber, the type of person that donates their time is an open, good-hearted, generous person. and that' s why we get along, you know. we just have that kind of circle of camaraderie because we' re all in this together for the animals. it' s very sad when you' re driving down the street and you see a homeless person with their dog, and you know that that animal needs veterinary care, and there' s nothing you can do for them. so this is a way for us to be able to provide that to that population of animals. jill: this is an incredible way have an outreach and have

re forgotten. people can help by donating to something like hope. people can help by spaying and neutering their animals. people can help by understanding that animals are a lifetime commitment, and knowing that once you accept an animal into your life, it' s yours. and that' s the beauty of most of the homeless clients that we work with is that they' ve committed to their animals, and they' re here. woman: bye. thank you so much. volunteer: bye! not a problem. thank you. alex: visit our website, animalrescuetv.com to learn more about other rescue groups. don' t go away. we' ll be right

alex: welcome back. here is

dozens of area firefighters and the plymouth county technical rescue team in massachusetts rush to help a pony who accidentally fell into a backyard pool. the 10-year-old horse named star escaped from her stable and knocked down rails surrounding her paddock. rescuers first build a ramp, hoping the horse can be coaxed to walk out. they construct a ramp with 2x4s. but getting star to step up the ramp was easier said than done. she doesn' t seem to be cooperating. the ramp is apparently too slick for the horse' s hooves, and rescuers now must go back to the drawing board. more time passes, and star' s owner and the firefighters worry about the pony' s condition. being in such cold water was making her hypothermic, not to mention lethargic. the next plan

machinery. maybe they could lift her out. [backhoe beeping] [indistinct chatter] first, a veterinarian needs to sedate the horse. now harnesses need to be attached. they included a pair of slings which need to be wrapped around star' s body. attaching the proper straps takes time. and the rescuers also need to act cautiously so they don' t further traumatize the animal. [indistinct chatter] her eyes also need to be covered to lessen any anxiety of being lifted up in the air. a backhoe is now in place. and everyone watches as the arm will slowly rise, hopefully with

cautious seconds pass. will this plan work? ready, set, go. star remains calm as she rises into the air. finally the horse is out of the pool and now will be placed on the grass.

mission accomplished. star' s owner, the vets, and the concerned rescuers breathe a sigh of relief. star suffers from some mild hypothermia but otherwise appears none the worse for wear as she is led back to her barn. [dog barking] a successful animal rescue by a dedicated group of individuals using teamwork and lots of heavy lifting. and now this "animal rescue" safety tip. keep your pets happy, healthy, and fit with this animal rescue safety tip be prepared to take care of your pet in an emergency. create a portable pet disaster supply kit. it should include first-aid supplies, medications, medical records, and pet pictures stored in a waterproof container. heavy-duty gloves,

leashes, harnesses, or carriers to transport pets safely. food, water, bowls, a litter box for cats, a can opener, and pet toys to make pets as comfortable as possible during the crisis. that' s your animal rescue safety tip alex: "animal rescue" returns

alex: time now to honor this episode' s "animal rescue" heroes. because they care, because they care, by reaching out and bringing comfort to all creatures everywhere,

because they care, because they care, because they care, many more are living strong because they care, ohh ohh to one family we belong because they care because they care alex: time now to check our "animal rescue" mail bag. animal rescue mail bag alex: jessica from east hartford, connecticut, writes... britney from aurora, colorado,

and kylee from marsardis, maine, writes... animal rescue mail bag alex: and that' s this edition of "animal rescue." thanks for watching. join us next time as we showcase those caring individuals who help the various creatures in the animal kingdom. i' m alex paen. alex: on the next "animal rescue," amazing rescues and extraordinary efforts. watch compassionate individuals help animals in trouble. learn about different critters

and the dedicated people who care for them. plus, animal safety tips, and information on how to better care for your lovable pet. all this and much, much more, next time on "animal rescue." all: milk! milk! milk! milk! milk! okay! fun's over. aw. aw. thirsty? they said it would make me cool. they don't sound cool to me. guess not. you got to stick up for yourself, like with the name your price tool. people tell us their budget, not the other way around. aren't you lactose intolerant? this isn't lactose. it's milk. [captioning made possible by

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