Ben Stein…On Life And Dogs
21 Nov 2009
Archive for November, 2009
Pongo Is Home
16 Nov 2009
Pongo's right foot
I’d also like to take a moment to thank Joan Baldwin, with the Smyth County Humane Society for getting the word out via radio.
Pongo was found Saturday evening. His owner phoned me to let us know that he had been found. She also informed me that she thought Pongo had been hit by a car. I went over to look at Pongo and I did not believe he was hit by a car I believe he was caught in a trap,as the only injuries he has are to his right eye ( possibly ran into a stick) and his two hind feet are literally mutilated.
We picked up Pongo today from his owner and brought him to see our veterinarian, who confirmed what we had suspected, Pongo had been caught in a trap.
He was put on antibiotics ( Clindamycin for his feet and Tobramycin for his eye)and pain meds ( Rimadyl). Our veterinarian feels that if we can get rid of the infection in his feet, amputation won’t be needed, but should the infection spread he would require amputation. At this point all we can do really is wait and see if the antibiotics do their job. Thanks everyone!
Rescue Ink~ One Awesome Rescue Group
16 Nov 2009
Rescue Ink is a group of awesome,dedicated male rescuers that handle dangerous rescue situations, that other rescues, comprised mostly of woman, won’t or can’t handle.
Please check out Rescue Ink on the National Geographic Channel Fridays at 10pm!
For more information please visit:http://www.rescueink.org/
Finally some peace for Lauren……………..
13 Nov 2009
Lauren at the shelter
This is Lauren. I met this sweet,sad soul at Smyth County Animal Shelter last week.
Lauren was take in as a stray, she had multiple injuries and as often happens no one ever came to reclaim her. I don’t know who happened upon this gentle creature prior to her arrival to the shelter or if her former owner inflicted her injuries.
What I do know is that we took Lauren from the shelter yesterday, frightened and quivering. She was immdiately seen by our veterinarian with 1 hour of being taken from the shelter.
Her right eye was sunken into its socket. Slightly to the left of her injured eye was a moderate indentation in her skull. The veterinary exam revealed that the damage to Lauren’s eye was not caused by infection but rather by a blow to her head.
The exam progressed,revealing two toes missing from her right front paw, a broken tail and abrasions on her nose.
I am happy to say that she will recover, at least from the physical wounds inflicted on her. Hopefully time, love and pactience will heal her spirit.
Many people were instrumental in saving Lauren and we are very grateful to have had their help, but the hero of the day is Betty, Lauren’s foster mom, who opened her heart and home to this broken little dog and gave her a place to convalesce.
Somedays are better than Others
10 Nov 2009
We, as well as many other rescues, both local and out of state have been having a rough go of it lately,unbearable loses,decreases in donations,lack of volunteers, the list goes on.
I just wanted to take a minute to remind you all that we are making a difference day by day, one animal by one animal.
This is dedicated to everyone in rescue, from fosters, to transporters, to adoption co-ordinators, donators, cross posters,pullers and everyone in between.
NEVER FORGET THAT YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!
A Knoxville man has been arrested on charges of dragging a small Terrier-mix dog behind a truck in the Middlebrook Pike area Tuesday afternoon.
Jimmy Lovell, 45, whose nickname is “Dog,” was arrested at his home on Pilkay Road and charged with a felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals.
Knoxville Police said, on Tuesday afternoon around 4:15 p.m., officers responded to a call that a driver was dragging a dog behind a vehicle on Liberty Street, just off Middlebrook Pike in West Knoxville.
“There was like 15, 20, 30 other people standing out there, just hollering at him, telling him, you’re dragging a dog, just running down the street, telling him, stop, and he never would stop,” said Ron Hurst, who witnessed the incident.
He was there with his friends, Robert Patton and Melissa Savage. They say Lovell kept driving, with the dog tied to the hitch of his truck.
When he finally stopped, they say he yelled at them, grabbed the dog, tossed the dog into his truck, and drove away.
“It was bad, he had blood all over (her,)” Hurst said of the dog. ”It was just laying there in the seat, wasn’t even moving, looked like it was dead.”
The dog was later found abandoned along Sutherland Avenue near a business.
The arrest warrant described the dog as appearing lifeless, with its tongue hanging limply from its mouth and its skin appearing to be torn in several places. The warrant also indicated there was a trail of blood from Knott Road onto Liberty Street.
She is now being treated for serious injuries at UT’s College of Veterinary Medicine, where she is now called “The Little Brown Dog.”
“Basically, (she has) skin wounds, ligament wounds, joint wounds and bone wounds on all four paws, but she also has a large wound over her sternum or over her breast bone that has been created in a similar manner,” Dr. Patricia Sura said. “Some of her bones have been sheared, so to speak, so they’re only half the width of what they once were because they’ve been ground down to that extent.”
Dr. Sura said the dog may have to have skin grafts on all four paws in the next two to three weeks.
It will likely take another month for those wounds to heal, but she should recover after that.
Meanwhile, Lovell is set to appear in court on Nov. 13 after he posted a $2,500 bond.
Police say that’s when they will reveal why they believe he dragged the dog.
Right now, police will only speak in general terms about why cases like these typically happen.
“They have anger issues, they feel that they’re in control over an animal,” Knoxville Police Spokesman Darrell DeBusk said. ”A lot of times it’s done to get back at another individual. If the dog is actually owned by somebody else and they’re mad at that individual, then they mistreat the animal to get back at that person.”
If anyone would like to help The Little Brown Dog, you can make donations to:
The Small Brown Dog Fund
UTCVM Development Office
2407 River Drive
Knoxville, TN 37996-4550
(865) 974-4379
Source:http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=103900&catid=2
Last Year’s Christmas Present
08 Nov 2009
With the holidays upon us, we here at SFF would like to take a moment to remind well intentioned parents, grandparents,aunts and uncles that a pet isn’t a “gift”. It is a life. A pet is a living, breathing, feeling creature that has many needs. If, as the adult of the household you are not prepared to meet the needs of the animal please, please, please do not give it as a gift.
If however after careful consideration you do decide that the holiday’s are the perfect time to add a furry member to your family, please be sure to adopt from your local shelter.
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
With no thought of the dog outside filling their head.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Knew he was cold, but didn’t care about that.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Figuring the dog was free and into the trash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of midday to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But Santa Claus – his eyes full of tears.
He unchained the dog, once so lively and quick,
Last years Christmas present, now thin and sick.
More rapid than eagles he called the dog’s name.
And the dog ran to him, despite all his pain;
“Now, DASHER! Now, DANCER! Now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! On CUPID! On, DONNER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Let’s find this dog a home where he’ll be loved by all”
I knew in an instant there would be no gifts this year,
For Santa Claus had made one thing quite clear,
The gift of a dog is not just for the season,
We had gotten the pup for all the wrong reasons.
In our haste to think of giving the kids a gift
There was one important thing that we missed.
A dog should be family, and cared for the same
You don’t give a gift, then put it on a chain.
And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,
“You weren’t given a gift! You were given a life!”
—Author Unknown
Church goes to the dogs
06 Nov 2009
LOS ANGELES – When the Rev. Tom Eggebeen took over as interim pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church three years ago, he looked around and knew it needed a jump start. Most of his worshippers, though devoted, were in their 60s, attendance had bottomed out and the once-vibrant church was fading as a community touchstone in its bustling neighborhood. So Eggebeen came up with a hair-raising idea: He would turn God’s house into a doghouse by offering a 30-minute service complete with individual doggie beds, canine prayers and an offering of dog treats. He hopes it will reinvigorate the church’s connection with the community, provide solace to elderly members and, possibly, attract new worshippers who are as crazy about God as they are about their four-legged friends. Before the first Canines at Covenant service last Sunday, Eggebeen said many Christians love their pets as much as human family members and grieve just as deeply when they suffer — but churches have been slow to recognize that love as the work of God. “The Bible says of God only two things in terms of an ‘is’: That God is light and God is love. And wherever there’s love, there’s God in some fashion,” said Eggebeen, himself a dog lover. “And when we love a dog and a dog loves us, that’s a part of God and God is a part of that. So we honor that.” The weekly dog service at Covenant Presbyterian is part of a growing trend among churches nationwide to address the spirituality of pets and the deeply felt bonds that owners form with their animals. Traditionally, conventional Christians believe that only humans have redeemable souls, said Laura Hobgood-Oster, a religion professor at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. But a growing number of congregations from Massachusetts to Texas to California are challenging that assertion with regular pet blessings and, increasingly, pet-centric services, said Hobgood-Oster, who studies the role of animals in Christian tradition. She recently did a survey that found more than 500 blessings for animals at churches nationwide and has heard of a half-dozen congregations holding worship services like Eggebeen’s, including one in a Boston suburb called Woof ‘n Worship. “It’s the changing family structure, where pets are really central and religious communities are starting to recognize that people need various kinds of rituals that include their pets,” she said. “More and more people in mainline Christianity are considering them to have some kind of soul.” The pooches who showed up at Covenant Presbyterian on Sunday didn’t seem very interested in dogma. Animals big and small, from pit bulls to miniature Dachshunds to bichon frises, piled into the church’s chapel to worship in an area specially outfitted for canine comfort with doggie beds, water bowls and a pile of irresistible biscuits in an offering bowl. There were a lot of humans too — about 30 — and three-quarters of them were new faces. The service started amid a riot of tail-sniffing, barking, whining and playful roughhousing. But as Eggebeen stepped to the front and the piano struck up the hymn “GoD and DoG,” one by one the pooches lay down, chins on paws, and listened. Eggebeen took prayer requests for Mr. Boobie (healing of the knees) and Hunter (had a stroke) and then called out the names of beloved pets past and present (Quiche, Tiger, Timmy, Baby Angel and Spunky) before launching into the Lord’s Prayer. At the offering, ushers stepped over tangled leashes and yawning canines to collect donations and hand out doggie treats shaped like miniature bones in a rainbow of colors. Donna Lee Merz, a Presbyterian pastor at another Southern California church, stopped in with Gracie, her 14-month-old long-haired miniature Dachshund. The puppy with ears soft as silk was overcome by the other dogs and wriggled across the floor on her belly, quivering with excitement. She finally calmed down when Merz held her in her lap. “She knew it was a safe place and a good place to be, a place to be loved,” Merz said, gently petting Gracie after the service. “I’ll be back.” Emma Sczesniak came to Covenant for the first time, lured by the promise that she could worship with her black Lab, Midnight, and her wire-haired Dachshund-terrier mix, Marley. Marley sat on her lap during the service, while Midnight checked out the other big dogs and sat patiently waiting for his biscuit. Sczesniak said the dog-friendly service came at the perfect time for her: she’s been thinking about getting back to church, but wasn’t sure how or where to go. “I don’t have any kids, so my pets have always been my children, so it does mean a lot,” she said of the dog-inclusive service. “I haven’t been to church in a long time and this may push me into it. I’m getting older and I’ve been thinking about those things again.” But Midnight, Marley, Gracie and the other pups probably had something more important on their minds as Eggebeen intoned his benediction and the service drew to a close: Just where could they find more of those delicious treats? For Eggebeen, the night was a spiritual success — and the rest is out of his hands. “It’s important for a church like us just to do good things. The results, we’ll just have to see,” he said. “Ultimately, that belongs to God.”
A sad reminder of why we do, what we do
06 Nov 2009
Yesterday was a profoundly sad day for Rosie, and on a larger scale, the world of animal rescue, what Rosie’s death exemplies. The slaughter of innocent animals across this country every single day. Rescuers and well-intentioned folks working feverously to pull as many as possible to safety, not enough “front-end” intervention to interrupt the over-population, desperation, hopelessness, “no-kill” being mostly a concept, not a way of doing business. Senseless death, that is never ending.
Why is no-kill not an ingrained national attitude, a full-fledged, dedicated movement?
The innocents have faces. Like Rosie.
A desperate plea came through channels yesterday: Tarboro, NC ~ URGENT ~ Edgecombe County Animal Shelter-ROTT PUPS & LAB PUPS!! The word “County” in the subject line rang instant alarm bells: The forgotten back alleys of civilization. Out in the country, lawlessness, recklessness, animal abuse, animals dumped, backwards ways of thinking, red necks, animals starving, dogs chained, unaltered. Animal control has only one function: dispose of unwanted animals, Method: gas chambers or other cruel, inhumane kill methods. Few, if any, get out alive. The euthanasia date was stated as yesterday and today.
The time of the plea for help was sent around 3pm. Among those pictured was a very, very pregnant medium sized dog. She looked like she was about to go into labor, so far along she was. From the picture, it looked like she was wagging her tail, but her face pleaded. It looked like she had not had it easy in her life, her backbones and hip bones protruding. I immediately put forth an urgent request for help for the momma dog. Beautiful little girl, light tan with white. Oh, how cute she must have been as a puppy…. I received his plea around 3:30 eastern time.
I called the shelter, miraculously getting through even though shelter hours are only until 11 am. The guy who answered did not know who I was referring to. Further detail offered. Long pause. Oh, … she’s gone… I could not breathe. Then, a silent scream that will last for all eternity. Nooooooooooo,….. ! Time stood, as I saw her pleading eyes, her unborn babies, … then her lifeless body, her babies, unborn, or perhaps born as a result of forced labor upon her death. I know her babies did not die right away… Inhumane at the most reprehensible level. Her “crimes”: unwanted and pregnant. Man’s crime: murder. Rosie, I whispered,…. your name is Rosie. You will always reside in our hearts, minds and souls. You and your babies will never be forgotten.
Written by my friend and fellow rescuer, Monique Williams.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office raided the shelter at 3456 Tchulahoma last week after a whistle-blower complained that animals were being mistreated.
Ten shelter employees and city animal services administrator Ernest Alexander were relieved of duty, and Dist. Atty. Gen. Bill Gibbons said criminal charges are possible.
Memphis Mayor A C Wharton said Tuesday that shelter employees are back on the job as he awaits an internal investigation about shelter operations.
“I can’t say at this point whether they did everything right or did everything wrong until I get the results, which I will have at the end of the week,” said Wharton, who added that shelter volunteers are providing an “additional layer of oversight” over the employees.
The warrant shows that deputies asked for a slew of shelter records, including computers and logs of care.
Deputies seized 17 boxes of documents, four computers, six CDs or DVDs, empty dog-food bags and two cell phones, among other things.
Detectives believed there was probable cause that laws were being violated by Alexander and shelter employees, the warrant says.
Among the potential charges are aggravated cruelty to animals, official misconduct and tampering with or fabricating evidence, which could result from dogs being held for court that were allowed to die, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies also included in the warrant photos of puppy No. 199287.
The earliest photo shows the dog looking healthy just after arriving at the shelter. Later photos show it in an increasingly emaciated condition.
The animal was found dead in its cage Sept. 4, according to the warrant.
The photos were taken by the tipster, who repeatedly brought the dog’s deteriorating condition to the attention of shelter employees, said Sheriff’s Office spokesman Steve Shular.
Also included in the warrant were the results of a necropsy on the puppy done by veterinarian Melinda Merck of Gainesville, Fla.
The dog, wrote Merck, had little stored-up fat, including a 2.3 percent measurement of bone-marrow fat. Sixty percent or higher would be normal, she wrote.
Although the dog had partly digested food in its stomach, the doctor estimated the puppy hadn’t eaten in at least 72 hours. The cause of death, she wrote, was starvation.
The warrant also indicates that volunteers had sent “numerous” e-mails to Alexander, now-departed Division of Public Services and Neighborhoods director Kenneth Moody and two employees, warning that animals were in poor condition.
Moody retired from the city in July.
Deputies discovered in the raid that some of the animals were sick or had been deprived of food and water.
Death rates of animals being kept at the shelter have risen sharply, from 75 in 2006 to 119 in 2007 to 193 in 2008.
Wharton said publicly accessible 24-hour surveillance cameras will be installed at the facility by week’s end.
Addendum: Memphis Mayor, A C Wharton has haulted euthanizations pending the investigation.
Written by: Hank Dudding
