Ripley’s donates money to help badly neglected namesake dog

ORLANDO, Fla. – (Nov. 2, 2010) – Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is always in search of stories, facts and achievements that are unbelievable. Company officials recently discovered a story involving a dog that was so amazing and unbelievable and in so much distress that they had to step in to help.

Ripley’s is donating money to help a neglected dog in Houma, Louisiana. A poodle was found in a ditch with fur so badly matted that it couldn’t even walk.  The dog was literally a living,

breathing ball of hair (seen here at the right).

Staff at a local animal rescue group, My Heart’s Desire, rescued the dog, had his massive amount of tangled mane shaven off and gave him a very fitting name – Ripley.

According to shelter co-founder Tracey Lapeyrouse, they chose the name Ripley because “you would have never believed there was a dog under there. He didn’t even look like a dog. He looked like the elephant man. All you could see was his snout.” The company’s love for unusual animals comes directly from Robert Ripley himself, who owned many pets including a one-eyed dog name Cyclops.

Ripley has been given a good grooming, lots of TLC, and has been neutered. My Heart’s Desire is now looking for a permanent home for him.

Ripley Entertainment Inc., the parent of the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! brand, is making a donation to the shelter and to Ripley’s future family. The company will give $400 to My Heart’s Desire and Ripley the dog will come with a gift card for a local pet store that his new owners can use for food, grooming, toys and other expenses.

“Ripley the dog is what Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is all about,” said Tim O’Brien, VP of Communications for Ripley’s Believe It or Not! “It’s unbelievable that a dog could even be in this condition, let alone survive and go on to potentially become a great pet for someone.”

This may not be the last time that Ripley the dog will hear from the people at Ripley’s. His story is being considered for the next Ripley’s Believe It or Not! book.

For downloadable images of Ripley the dog, please visit Ripley’s Newsroom.

Anyone interested in making a donation to My Heart’s Desire should contact Tracey Lapeyrouse

at tvlapeyrouse@hotmail.com or call the shelter at 985-226-4693.

Contact:

Tim O’Brien

VP Communications

Office – 615-646-7465

Cell – 615-496-5949

Obrien@ripleys.com

About Ripley Entertainment

Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com), keepers of the venerable Ripley’s Believe It or Not! brand, is a global leader in location-based entertainment, entertaining more than 13 million annually at its 80-plus attractions in 11 countries.  In addition to its 31 Believe It or Not! Odditoriums, the Orlando, Florida-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions, best-selling books and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, that still runs daily in 42 countries. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the third-largest privately held company in Canada.

Posted by Wellons Communications, an Orlando public relations firm.