\nThere are so many animals in the world; it can be hard to choose just one to take in as part of the family. So why not get another? And another? And another? Although it might seem like a good idea to be surrounded by balls of fluff that are there to love you, that might not always be the best idea. In fact, it\u2019s overpopulation without enough funds for their care that can land many of these little ones a place in the shelter, or worse.
\nSo what happens if you don\u2019t have the time or the funds to make it to a shelter in time? That\u2019s when things might take a turn for the worse. Over the years, there have been many tales of animals returning home after getting lost from their families.<\/p>\n

Just take Holly the cat that walked 200 miles to her owners after a fireworks display while they were on vacation scared the feline. Prince was another animal in search of his owner. Only this Irish terrier has to swim the English Channel to find his owner after he was drafted as a soldier for war.
\nAmazingly, Prince was able to track him down and remained in France until the war was finally over. However, not every animal is so lucky. These puppies were forced to cry for help after getting abandoned on an island. How could they have got there? Was their owner ever going to come back? There were so many questions, but it seemed as though everyone was about to go on a long journey to find out the answers.
\n[post_page_title]Just another night[\/post_page_title]
\nIt was just another average night in July 2018 for Jr Cook and his friend, Leon Colombe. Jr lives on Cross Lake found in Manitoba, Canada, and the pair were enjoying relaxing in his backyard as they took in the last of the day\u2019s heat. Although the sun had gone down, there was still plenty of wildlife to enjoy. That\u2019s when they heard a noise. A noise that was about to change everything, but where could it have been coming from?
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\n[post_page_title]Searching for the sound[\/post_page_title]
\nThe pair looked all around to see if they could find the source of the noise, but it didn\u2019t seem to be coming from the yard. That\u2019s when Jr remembered his binoculars. Surely they would be able to show him the source of the sound? Although he looked all around, Jr couldn\u2019t spot anything that could be so loud. The pair figured it must be local wolves. That was until they heard it again the next morning. Now, they could see shadows in the distance.
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\n[post_page_title]Looking for clues[\/post_page_title]
\nThat was it; Jr, his brother, Bob, and Leon all jumped in a boat to travel across the lake and uncover what had been so loud the night before. That\u2019s when they saw it: the wagging tails. This could only mean one thing. However, none of the group could be sure of what they were looking at. After all, they were on a boat on a lake. How could there be creatures this far away from land? Their eyes must be playing tricks.
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\n[post_page_title]It couldn\u2019t be[\/post_page_title]
\nAs soon as the trio got close to the shore, the creatures all came running over. There was no mistaking it – they were looking at a litter of puppies! It wasn\u2019t long before Jr realized there was no one on the island meaning the dogs must have been abandoned there. Only, the island was just fir trees and rock. There was nothing for the puppies to eat. They quickly counted seven dogs and knew that every single one of them needed their help.
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\n[post_page_title]Getting a plan together[\/post_page_title]
\nJr knew just what to do. He soon contacted Deborah Vandekerkhove who works at the Norway House Animal Rescue found in Winnipeg. Together, they could devise a plan to get the puppies to safety, but there was a problem; all the dogs were incredibly wary of people. Jr needed to find a way to get closer to the dogs and know that taking some food was the best way to start. However, two of the group were more afraid than the others.
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\n[post_page_title]Hollywood inspiration[\/post_page_title]
\nIt appeared as though the puppies had been on the island for weeks. They all looked as though they were underweight and they couldn\u2019t wait to get their noses into a bowl of food. There was no food on the island, and they had no choice but to accept Jr\u2019s help. It was then their rescuer decided the puppies were just like Gilligan\u2019s Island. In the sitcom, seven castaways must survive on an island together. Now it was happening before his very eyes.
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\n[post_page_title]Plenty of trips[\/post_page_title]
\nJr spent two days traveling back and forward from his home to the island taking supplies so he could gain the puppies\u2019 trust. Jr even bought a dog kennel with him. The very least he could offer them was somewhere safe to sleep away from the elements. However, their lack of human contact made it hard to think of a plan to get them to safety. It took a lot of hard work and perseverance, but it looked as though Jr was starting to make progress with the litter.
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\n[post_page_title]Building bridges[\/post_page_title]
\nSlowly but surely the puppies began to trust the men. Now they could see they were here to help, some of them even let the group get close enough to stroke them. At last, Jr knew it was time to move forward with the plan of getting them to safety. It was back in the boat as he would need to make several more trips to get everything they needed onto the island. However, they only had one shot to get it right before they lost the puppies\u2019 trust forever.
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\n[post_page_title]Thinking over possibilities[\/post_page_title]
\nAlthough Jr had grown close to the puppies, he still couldn\u2019t help but wonder how they had got onto the island in the first place. After all, it was a 25-minute boat ride to the nearest home. Surely they couldn\u2019t have been strong enough to get there themselves? There was no time to ponder as it was time to get them back on dry land for the first time in weeks. Jr set about loading in enough crates to transport them all to safety.
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\n[post_page_title]Brand new lives[\/post_page_title]
\nThankfully, it wasn\u2019t long before the group were able to encourage all the dogs into their crates. Now, it was time to pack them all onto the boat and set about on the first part of the journey towards a new life. This was only the beginning. Little did the puppies know, but they were about to travel 1,000 miles to a brand new life in Winnipeg. As if that wasn\u2019t enough, Deborah was there to collect them all and take the puppies to the Norway House Animal Rescue.
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\n[post_page_title]Nose to tail checks[\/post_page_title]
\nThere was a vet ready to check over the puppies as soon as they arrived at the center. Everyone was on the edge of their seats to hear the results, but thankfully it was good news. All the puppies were as healthy as they could be after being abandoned on an island. Now, Jr could find out he had been looking after two girls and five boys. Jr explained the story of Gilligan\u2019s Island to the rescue who loved the idea of naming the puppies after characters in the show.
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\n[post_page_title]Worldwide love[\/post_page_title]
\nThe rescue center uploaded the story of the puppies to social media, and it wasn\u2019t long before they had interest from all around the world. Everyone wanted to know how the puppies were developing and how long it would be until they could find their forever homes. However, the center had something of its own to ask. They needed plenty of donations if they were going to have enough to pay for the puppies\u2019 care. They might be healthy, but they still required lots of looking after.
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\n[post_page_title]Helping others in need[\/post_page_title]
\nThe rescue center knew the puppies needed plenty of love and things bought for them to make their lives as good as they could be, but that wasn\u2019t all. The Norway House Animal Rescue also looks after a number of other animals who all need just as much attention. Plus, the center had many fees to pay throughout the rescue. They quickly managed to raise $2,000 and admitted that a lot of it would go towards feeding homeless animals or those living in struggling homes.
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\n[post_page_title]Eerie similarities[\/post_page_title]
\nAmazingly, the Gilligan puppies weren\u2019t the only litter about to make their way into the Norway House Animal Rescue center. In the same month, there was an eerily similar story to the one they were reliving all over again. The rescue was called after a mom and her seven puppies were all found abandoned and in desperate medical attention. However, these puppies were a lot younger. This meant there were plenty more risks to their health. The team might not have long to act.
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\n[post_page_title]Moving to a new home[\/post_page_title]
\nThankfully, the center was able to pick up the new puppies and their mom, and the entire family made it safely to the shelter. However, this group will be in their care for a lot longer as the puppies are far too young to be adopted. Although they are now all living at the Winnipeg Pet Rescue, this family will be able to receive the full care they need until they are fighting fit once again. It seemed as though the center wasn\u2019t done with puppies just yet.
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\n[post_page_title]A brand new start[\/post_page_title]
\nThe Gilligan puppies couldn\u2019t believe their luck. They were getting to experience what a life filled with love and toys was like for the first time in their lives. Tennis balls, squeaky toys, and plenty of dog treats were all on the menu for this group of warriors. However, the center still needed to work closely with each of the dogs if they were ever going to grow close to humans. If not, they might never be adopted into their forever homes.
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\n[post_page_title]Growing into their personalities[\/post_page_title]
\nAs the puppies continued to grow, so did their personalities. Skipper was soon four time the size of Mary Ann. Although Mary Ann loved her private time, she also enjoyed spending time with the bouncy Ginger. However, Gilligan and Skipper were the real inseparable ones of the litter. The Professor quickly proved he was the one that loved food, whole Mr. and Mrs. Howell are the social pair of the group that love to play fetch with their carers.
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\n[post_page_title]A special thank you[\/post_page_title]
\nSo far, the Norway House Animal Rescue Center has been able to bring in over $3,300 to put towards helping the Gilligan puppies and other animals that might need their help. Amazingly, one-third of all the donations received have come from the UK. The center published a special thank you to the nation and believes it\u2019s the many interviews and media coverage that has helped their story spread so far around the world. They even released several behind the scenes snaps as a way to show their appreciation.
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\n[post_page_title]Rewarding the hero[\/post_page_title]
\nIt\u2019s not just the people that have helped donate all around the world that have been thanked for their work; Jr Cook has also received plenty of appreciation for all his work with the Gilligan puppies. The center and other random strangers have since purchased several gift cards for Jr to enjoy, as well as handing over plenty of Ukrainian kobasa, a type of sausage. Although Jr admits he was devastated to see the puppies go, he is just happy to see them safe.
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\n[post_page_title]A stern warning[\/post_page_title]
\nThe center doesn\u2019t want the story to end there. In fact, the Norway House Animal Rescue has issued a warning they will go to any lengths to ensure the person responsible for the crime is put behind bars. The center furthers their post but asking that anyone with any information comes forward. There are several steps animals owners could take to ensure their pets are cared for and safe. It seems as though the puppies\u2019 former owners did none of these.
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\n[post_page_title]Searching for answers[\/post_page_title]
\nMany people have theorized about how the puppies ended up on the island, but no one is yet to uncover a definitive answer. The center believes the puppies are a result of a backyard breeder, someone that breeds hundreds of animals a year all for a profit. This is an issue all across the province of Manitoba for both cats and dogs. The center recommends reporting anyone seen to be doing this to the authorities as the first step to get rid of them all.
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\n[post_page_title]New beginnings[\/post_page_title]
\nAs for the Gilligan puppies, it seems as though they are preparing for their new lives. As they continued to grow into their personalities, the center will start to look for suitable homes for the youngsters. Although they may never be able to get justice for the litter, it seems as though the center will do everything they can to make sure all seen puppies now get to enjoy the lives they deserve. Hopefully, they will all be able to move forward from their time on the island.
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are so many animals in the world; it can be hard to choose just one to take in as part of the family. So why not get another? And another? And another? Although it might seem like a good idea to be surrounded by balls of fluff that are there to love you, that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":62957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n