PM Edition: Mooshu's situation...

We’ve gotten a couple of e-mails this afternoon about a dog that is facing a dire situation at the Carrollton Animal Services shelter.

Rescuers and shelter people live with hope. And they also live with reality.

In the case of this dog Mooshu, the folks at the Carrollton shelter reported to me just about 4 p.m. that the dog's aggressive nature and seemingly lack of socialization have worked against it. Before we got that bad news (that Mooshu will almost certainly not make it out of the shelter), we'd heard from a few people about trying to save the dog.

One of our tipsters, Alexandra Kelsey, heard about this situation in Houston and sent out a note summarizing Mooshu’s situation in what she calls “sound bites.” She wrote, “Mooshu sound bites: Dumped. Found. Vaccinated. Turned in to shelter. On euth list. 48 hours left as of 4/30. Waiting anxiously for person wanting a sweet buddy.”

Tipster Johnna Bigley, a veteran rescuer, checked with the shelter and says Mooshu’s official reference number is 21781. She, too, was hustling to get help for the dog.

Mooshu’s original rescuer, Rosie Ortiz, explains how things got this way:

“I recently found a very sweet stray dog. I named him Mooshu and decided to board him at a kennel till I found him a home. This was the only option since my apartments won’t allow pit bulls on the premises. While he boarded, he received his Rabies, DHLPPC, Bordetella.

“Turns out not many people want to take in a stray pit bull. So I spent days calling shelters and begging for someone to take him.  I couldn't afford to keep him there [at the boarder] any longer and I had to give him to Carrollton Animal Services. 

“Carrollton will not adopt out Pits to general public, something I didn't know, and so now I'm letting all the no-kills know about this sweet little guy.  I fell in love with this dog and I hope someone else will, too.”

So, through no fault of the rescuer or of the dog, there is not much good on the horizon for Mooshu. This is what happens when a dog is not given the respect that a living being deserves. This is what happens when neglect or maybe even cruelty are the prevailing conditions in a dog's life.

Who knows? Maybe a year ago this dog's nature would have been differnt. Somewhere a human let this dog down and now it is up to other humans to "clean up the mess" that was made of this dog's life.

It is sad for all concerned. Criminal. Certainly immoral.

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