When most people think of stereotypical bikers, they imagine rough and ready characters with lots of tattoos and a penchant for trouble.
And yet the storied existence of Rescue Ink proved otherwise. They certainly look intimidating, but the truth is their mission statement targeted a very specific blight on society: animal abusers.
As per reports, the story starts with a pit bull that had managed to escape from an illegal dogfighting ring in Kentucky. Due to his natural lack of aggression, this poor pup had been used as a bait dog by the monsters who ran the ring, meaning that they let other, more vicious dogs practise on him.
Before long the pit bull had been rescued by the local Humane Society, who posted pictures of the dog to the internet, showcasing his missing ears and the dozens of infected wounds all over his body.
Nobody was more shocked that Joe Panz, a lifelong biker who has a soft spot for dogs. He and another biker buddy, known as G., jumped on a plane to Kentucky with the aim of taking in the poor dog and finding those responsible for hurting him.
Panz and G. had a rather unique advantage with their efforts: no one was expecting two heavy-set bikers to be hunting a dogfighting ring.
Low and behold, they soon traced the violence back to the people responsible, before handing over their evidence to the authorities. The dogfighting ring was soon put out of business, and Panz and G. took the injured pit bull, who they named Rebel, home with them.
It wasn’t long after that Panz got around to realizing that he and his biker friends could really do some good when it came to helping vulnerable animals. So he created Rescue Ink, opening up all sorts of possibilities when it came to rescue operations.
“When we pull up, they don’t know what we’re going to do,” one member, Anthony “Big Ant” Rossano said. “They don’t know what we’re capable of doing. So it helps out big time.”
What’s more, Rebel became the organization’s mascot and biggest fan. The biker soon set up their own shelter to house the animals they rescued, ensuring they had a safe haven to be rehabilitated before finding their forever homes.
These days the organization has shut down, but many animals owe their very lives to Rescue Ink. What’s more, a lot of the former members are still active in animal rescue operations.
Such inspirational work, and vitally important when you stop to consider what these poor animals are going through.
Only a true monster picks on creatures unable to defend themselves.
Share this article to spread the good work of Rescue Ink, and to remind people never to tolerate animal abuse.
