WARREN, Ohio (WOIO) – The Healthy Hearts and Paws Project is desperate for help after taking in five malnourished puppies and two dogs with untreated tumors within three days – all neglected and abandoned.

Founder Jason Cooke stated funds are already depleted with 127 animals in their care, on top of the veterinary bills, operating costs, and the construction costs of the new shelter.

Scroll to the bottom of this story to see a list of resources that can help those struggling to care for a pet, and how you can help those in need.

Cooke said the Warren City Health Department called him on May 7 about a dog who was allegedly abandoned at a Palmyra home in Warren.

The dog was spotted through an open window “extremely underweight” with a “had a large, oozing mass on her side with insect activity,” Cooke described.

There was also no food or water in sight, according to Cooke.

Warren City police and Warren City Animal Control helped remove the dog from the residence “which was in deplorable condition,” said Cooke.

Warren police said no arrest has been made at this time.

Cooke said the dog, who rescuers named Beatrice, was immediately brought to Countryside Veterinary Service in Kinsman.

Beatrice was described by Cooke as malnourished and anemic, and suffering from the “extremely large mass on her side that was left untreated and has since become infected.”

Veterinarians had her undergo chest x-rays, blood work tests, take fluids, antibiotics, and pain medications to treat her in an attempt to build up strength and get the infection “under control,” according to Cooke.

Unfortunately, vets saw Beatrice’s health was even worse than they hoped once she underwent surgery, and she crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Cooke shared the following explanation:

“Beatrice had a very proportionally large mass on her side, at the junction of the chest and abdomen. The mass was extremely painful and infected, even after a course of antibiotics. In an attempt to remove it surgically, it was found that the mass extended all the way through the body wall. This made the option of surgical excision impossible, so it was decided to euthanize her.”

WARNING: The photos of Beatrice’s neglect may be disturbing.

Within hours of first finding Beatrice, Cooke said he was notified that five malnourished puppies were found abandoned in a box in front of a vacant home on Tod Avenue in Warren.

He arrived to find all five puppies were also dehydrated and covered in their own urine and feces.

Cooke said he called police and rushed the puppies to Countryside Veterinary Service in Kinsman to save their lives.

Sadly, the puppy they named Rocky did not survive despite his valiant fight, and crossed the Rainbow Bridge on May 9.

The other four were brought back to the shelter, and three are still up for adoption: Liberty, Skye, and Zuma.

Three days after finding Beatrice and the five puppies, Cooke said a “severely neglected dog” was again found on Tod Avenue in Warren on May 10.

Cooke said she too was immediately rushed to Countryside Veterinary Service in Kinsman where “it was determined that she is extremely malnourished; matted beyond belief; and has a large, painful mass on her mouth that is also infected…”

She was named Emerson, given pain medication and antibiotics, and was groomed by Dog House.

Emerson is scheduled to have surgery to remove a mass on her mouth as soon as next week, depending on how she recovers, Cooke shared.

She is currently in the care of a medical foster, however, she is still available for adoption.

Cooke said the veterinary care the dogs and cats of the Healthy Hearts and Paws Project received last week alone totaled $3,055.

This included exams, testing, medication, antibiotics, spays, neuters, and vaccinations, Cooke listed.

The project typically rescues dogs who test positive for heartworms because the cost of treatment is unfortunately expensive, which is why heartworm-positive dogs are more likely to be euthanized.

“Our mission is to promote animal welfare through education and by providing care and temporary placement for heartworm positive and emergency medical-needs dogs to give each dog a second chance at a positive outcome,” founder Jason Cooke stated.

Once the heartworm-positive dogs are successfully treated and cured, they are put up for adoption.

If you want to open your hearts to the joy of adoption by giving the gift of a “fur-ever” home, here is the link for dogs waiting for you at the shelter.

Click here to view adoptable dogs.

One of which is Nitro, who has spent over 2,000 days – most of his five years of life – without a permanent home to call his own.

[Adopt Nitro: Northeast Ohio dog spends 2,000+ days waiting in shelter ]

If you would like to adopt Emerson, Liberty, Skye, Zuma, Nitro, or any other four-legged best friend, click here to fill out an application.

Even if you aren’t able to adopt at this time, but still have some room in your home and heart, you can click here to learn about fostering.

You can help save a life even if you can’t make make a lifelong commitment.

For those who are unable to adopt or foster at this time but still want to help, you can donate necessities for the shelter and presents for the animals there.

Click here to donate.

If you are unable to donate money or items, consider donating your time by volunteering at The Healthy Hearts and Paws Project.

Click here to learn how to become a volunteer.

The Healthy Hearts and Paws Project is located at 909 Martin Luther King Blvd. SW in Warren.

Call 234-855-5847 with questions.

City Dogs Cleveland listed the below information on pet pantries and programs that may provide free and low-cost pet care in Northeast Ohio.

“There is absolutely no shame in reaching out during times of hardship,” City Dogs encouraged.

• Services: Pet food pantry, low-cost pet supplies, low-cost vaccinations and vetting, microchips, and more.
• Address: 3711 E 65th St., Cleveland, OH 44105
• Phone number: 216-505-5853
• Website: https://www.neighborhoodpetscle.org/
• Email address: info@neighborhoodpetscle.org

• Services: Pet food pantry, pet supplies, help with vet costs
• Address: 5376 Ridge Rd., Parma, OH 44129
• Phone number: 216-307-7814
• Website: www.companionpetsofcleveland.com
• Email address: CompanionPetsOfCleveland@gmail.com

• Services: Low-cost vet services with financial assistance available
• Address: 1729 Willey Ave., Cleveland, OH 44113
• Phone number: 216-771-4616
• Website: https://clevelandapl.org/community-pet-clinic/
• Email address: contact@clevelandapl.org

• Services: Pet food pantry open from 10am-12pm on the second and fourth Sundays of the month
• Address: 10015 East River Rd., Columbiana Township, OH 44028
• Phone number: 440-243-2034
• Website: https://www.bereaanimalrescue.com/pet-pantry/

• Services: Pet food pantry for residents of Cuyahoga County. Please see the website for the client application for a monthly food pick-up.
• Address: 9500 Sweet Valley Dr., Valley View, OH 44125
• Phone number: 216-706-9363
• Website: https://fccas.org/what-we-do/pet-pantry-program/
• Email Address: pantry@fccas.org

• Services: Low-cost spay and neuter services. Spaying or neutering your pet is a critical way to help curb the animal shelter overpopulation crisis!
• Address: 885 E. 222nd St., Euclid, OH 44123
• Phone: 216-732-7040
• Website: https://www.petfixnortheastohio.org/
• Email: appointments@petfixnortheastohio.org

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TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – Cell phones. We see them everywhere we go, we all have them and it’s hard to go without them. But a new law will soon require Ohio school districts to create polices regarding cell phone use in school.

Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 250 into law Wednesday which requires every school district in Ohio to create a cell phone policy.

“They need a place, at least for several hours a day, to go and be students and have social interactions and have academic opportunities that are away from TikTok and Snapchat and all of these things that are distractive and addictive in their lives.” said Lt. Governor Jon Husted.

Locally, several school districts already have policies in place, most of them stating students aren’t allowed to have phones throughout the school day. At Anthony Wayne and Pike Delta York, their policy says phones are only allowed out during the school day when approved by a staff member. Other schools such as Perrysburg and Sylvania have similar policies which state phones can be used before and after school and at after-school activities as long as they don’t cause a distraction.

“It is a device that can be a positive at times to have during the day and students access it, but it also, we know, can be a very negative tool and a distracting tool,” said Tom Hosler, superintendent of Perrysburg Schools. “So trying to thread that needle of what is appropriate, what makes sense for the classroom, what makes sense for families, what makes sense to keep kids safe.”

But some other districts have a “no phones at all” policy.

“It’s just a distraction,” said Leigh Pancoast, principal at Swanton Middle School. “It’s just not needed in the school day. They have chrome books if they need anything to do any research, so we believe that it isn’t necessary for them to have them.”

Both districts 13 Action News spoke with say they will adjust their policies as needed to align with the new law. Schools will be required to adopt their cell phone policies no later than July 2025, ahead of the 2025-2026 school year.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio’s unemployment is back at 4% after many months of being at historic lows.

The state’s unemployment rate was 4% in April, up from 3.8% in March. Ohio’s unemployment rate had been under 4% for 16 straight months and had even dipped as low as 3.3%, a record-low for the state, according to data released Friday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.