A rescue mission was in full swing on Friday when Acushnet Animal Control Officer Rebekah Tomlinson got a call about a pair of guinea pigs roaming around Wing Road.

The poor animals were in rough shape and Tomlinson believed it was another case of unwanted pets left to fend for themselves.

Leaving a pet stranded is never the right answer, but thankfully, this story has a happy ending.

Tomlinson has been the animal control officer for Acushnet for 24 years and has responded to hundreds of types of calls. Five weeks ago, she received a call about a guinea pig on a woman’s front lawn.

“I got him to my rehabber, and unfortunately he didn’t make it,” she said. “He had head trauma and had to be euthanized.”

Get our free mobile app

Fast forward to Friday when Tomlinson received another call about two guinea pigs going in and out of bushes under a woman’s porch.

Luckily, they were in better shape than the animal from a few weeks ago, most likely due to the shelter of the porch.

Tomlinson believed that the guinea pig from five weeks ago and the two guinea pigs from Friday were most likely abandoned altogether, forcing the guinea pigs to seek shelter.

Tomlinson reported that the two guinea pigs are being rehabilitated at Capeway Veterinary Hospital in Fairhaven, where they will recover and hopefully go to a good home.

If it wasn’t for Tomlinson, who knows what would have happened to these poor animals?

There are better options than dropping pets off on the side of the road when you can no longer take care of them.

“If you can’t keep them, reach out to a local vet, animal control or local shelters, and we will certainly do what we can,” said Tomlinson. “If groceries are the problem, reach out to animal control, that’s what we are here for.”

Items Dangerous to Animals That You Have in Your Yard

We spoke with Wild Care Cape Cod Executive Director Stephanie Ellis about the dangers of many everyday yard items and how they can affect the wildlife we know and love. Here are some of the dangers your yard may present to animals and how you can reduce their risk.

More From WFHN-FM/FUN 107