OK, let’s see what’s on the agenda for today. After we worry about animals in trouble, we’re going to address the new Dallas stray ordinance in our CONTEMPLATIONS – frankly, it’s puzzling to me, but it's early in my limited thought processes... Please, put on a helmet and proceed:
MUSING: Pick a city, pick a shelter. Google the combo and get a look at the unwanted animals. How does this happen? Week after week. What are we missing? What can be done to stop this flow of unwanted animals into shelters and into the euthanasia room? And we’re approaching a holiday weekend, traditionally a time when adoptions are light and turn-ins are high. How can we change the human heart? I'm giving up on influencing the brain.
HOLLYWOOD EARHOUND, SHE IS: Reader Karen Lee, a dedicated rescuer and visitor to assorted animal websites, spotted this lookalike in the Everman Animal Shelter and immediately nominated Maggie Mae for Earhound status. She even provided the pictures to demonstrate her theory: “Does she look like Yoda or what!”
Yes, indeed, Maggie Mae bears a demonstrable resemblance to the diminutive Jedi Knight of Star Wars fame.
Maggie is about 2 – she was pregnant when she arrived at the shelter, had the babies and all the puppies found homes.
Now, Maggie awaits a home of her own and it should not be in a universe far, far away, probably.
To ask about adopting Maggie, contact the Everman shelter at 817-561-5495.
The scouting report is that Maggie Mae “loves t run and play in the water hose – she just loves being sprayed and cooling down. What a great summer dog!”
A DOG WITH HEART: Oh, for crying out loud. How does a dog this cute wind up in a treacherous situation?
Here’s the deal: She’s in the care of the Companion Animal Network and CAN’s Gail Whelan says, “We have officially named her Corazon ("heart" in Spanish) and call her Cora. She was found in a Sonic, going from car to car searching for her family. She would look up at every driver and wag furiously hoping they would open the door. One Good Samaritan did.”
Yep, might as well call this “The Car Hop Incident.” She hopped right in.
Cora is probably 6 or 7 years old and needs a foster home right now. She has some playmates right no – lives dogs – but needs her own place, we’re told. And, the report is that “Cora’s coat is like silk and she is as sweet as they come.”
To ask about giving Cora a place – temporary or permanent – e-mail [email protected].
THE CONTINUING STORY OF LITTLE BEE THE MOMMA KITTY: Yesterday we told the story of this cat’s attempts to help another cat’s litter survive.
You may recall that she was seized during an operation at a hoarder’s home. She had seven 6-week-old kittens. All were in the custody of the Animal Control Division at The Colony. A rescue group claimed the kittens and left Little Bee behind.
Then, a litter of four extremely young kittens – no mother in sight -- was found at a warehouse in The Colony. They were too young to be separated from their mother, so Little Bee made the effort to nurse the four kittens. Two did not make it.
And, yesterday, a rescue group claimed the surviving kittens. Alas, once again, Little Bee was left behind.
As you can see from this photo, Little Bee is a “people cat.”
Patricia Barrington, The Colony’s Animal Control Division Manager, says, “She’s perfect. Friendly, lovable.”
She says the staffers had trouble getting a good picture of Little Bee “because she won’t stay far enough away from the nearest person that the image can be properly captured. Great cat.”
To ask about giving this cat a home, e-mail [email protected] or call 972-370-9250.
COLLEGE DOG – LEFT BEHIND AT GRADUATION? When I first read that this dog was found on a college campus and that his name was Shiner, I naturally assumed a connection to the famed Texas beer. Then I opened the photo and saw that this dog had earned the name “Shiner” the old-fashioned way: He has a black eye.
The tip was forwarded to Readlarrypowell via our contacts at Straydog Inc. They’re trying to help some people at Texas A&M-Commerce find a place for this campus wanderer.
Judy Ford, who works at A&M-Commerce says the dog was found two weeks ago – he was trying to follow people into the assorted buildings on the campus. (Commerce is about 90 minutes northeast of Dallas right up I-30.)
Judy reports that, of course, Shiner “had no collar or chip.”
Efforts were made to find the dog’s human. “We brought him to the Commerce Vet Clinic, whose staff contacted the local shelter. We put an ad in the local papers of Commerce and nearby Greenville, including the dog's picture. We walked him door-to-door last Saturday to houses near campus asking if anyone recognized him, and left flyers with the dog's picture and our contact information at houses where we got no answer. We are afraid that the dog belonged to a student who abandoned him at graduation.”
(TIME OUT: If it is determined that this is the case and they can find the punk who did this, the school should revoke that diploma on the spot. I know these leave-the-dog-behind things happen. It’s simply time that there was some punishment for such behavior. If they’ll do it on campus, they’ll do it off-campus. Pardon my fuming.)
Continuing with Judy’s note: “The dog was in good shape, well-fed, when we found him. He is also very gentle, placid, and well-behaved. He walked well on the leash and let everybody pet him. One young woman decided that she needed to look at his teeth, so she cupped his head and pulled up his lip. He got very stiff, but let her do it, and wagged at her when she finished. The vet's staff says that it's clear that somebody invested time in training him. The dog is very affectionate and will cuddle with the least invitation.”
Placement of this dog is being handled through Straydog at www.straydog.org – call 903-479-3497 to ask about Shiner.
And if anyone recognizes the dog and knows who might have abandoned him on campus, please let the authorities know. Animal abandonment is a crime in Texas, I don’t care how many degrees you have.
METROPLEX MUTTS AND HOLIDAY PRESSURE: Whenever there’s a long holiday weekend, shelters and rescue groups make adjustments and in this case the deal is Metroplex Mutts has six dogs in boarding -- three are being treated for heartworm. But the boarding facility wants to make room for full-price paying clients and these dogs are being asked to pay up or move out. That may be a little harsher than the actual conversations, but that’s the bottom line.
Our tipster, Maeleska Fletes, says, “All of our dogs have to be out of boarding for the holiday. Just the weekend or through the next week that would be very helpful! Please email if you think you could help us for the week.”
To offer to help, [email protected].
(This is a photo of Buttercup, one of the heartworm positive dogs. As you probably know, dogs being treated for heartworm must be kept still and calm.)
A HOPE FOR CARROLLTON: When we shut things down late last night, there was one dog on the “list” at Carrollton Animal Services, the pit bull Bo. We know because Joe Skenesky of the Carrollton Animal Services shelter was making one more attempt to find someone to give Bo a life-saving break.
We mentioned him yesterday. Here was the official shelter description: “Bo came in as a stray. He is very well mannered and will promptly sit on command. He is very happy-go-lucky here at the shelter. Bo likes to serenade you when he wants your attention.”
Euthanasia was scheduled sometime this morning. I am afraid to ask what has happened to this dog. I hope that it is something good, that a rescue group found room for one more Dallas County pit bull.
And if that did not happen, then , well, Bo becomes just one more animal done in by mankind.
You can’t really call this euthanasia, for it is not mercy killing. Bo was not ailing. He was not in pain. He was just a dog who didn’t get a break: Branded by his breed; born into a time when people think of animals as amusements to be thrown away when they become inconvenient.
Carrollton saves so many animals by hustling them into homes and rescue groups. But these days, homes and rescue groups are overloaded. The blame? It goes to the people who don’t take care of their animals. When the role is called up yonder, my own personal indictment may take half of eternity to read, but I know for sure I will not be the only sad soul standing in line and hoping for a good public defender.
CONTEMPLATION – THE NEW DALLAS STRAY ORDINANCE: I’m still trying to figure out what I think about this new Dallas stray ordinance. Here’s what I’ve got:
A man came to the Dallas City Council with a problem involving dogs that were stolen and the council passed a law to control people who pick up strays.
Yes, they had an apple problem and produced an orange solution.
This ordinance, according to the council agenda, will “require a person who takes possession of a stray dog to attempt to locate the dog's owner - Financing: No cost consideration to the City.”
Who doesn’t already make the effort? Especially when the dog has tags (old number) and a microchip (never registered, gave the dog away, not my dog, etc.).
As they say, the devil is in the details. We’re trying to find the details – but, in the tradition of the 21st Century, I feel comfortable commenting on the law without having actually read it.
News reports say, basically, that the ordinance declares that if you pick up an animal and fail to make a good faith effort to find the owner, you are subject to a $500 fine.
The ordinance could send even more stray animals into the City of Dallas Animal Shelter for euthanasia and, I guess, send do-good animal rescuers to court.
According to some members of the city’s Animal Shelter Commission, this was passed without the benefit of consulting the commission – and it exists to advise council members on animal issues. In fact, several members are veterans of stray rescue and, no doubt, know more than the city council about animal situations in this town.
TWO THINGS:
(1)Brad Kirby, the Dallas photographer who pushed the ordinance through, did not have a stray dog problem. At his website, www.stolendogsofdallas.com, he accuses a specific person of stealing his Huskies. You have to feel for the guy. He also tells of talking with Dallas police and being told there was nothing they could do. Theft, even of dogs, is already a criminal violation. And if that doesn’t work, there is civil law to use.
(2) People who stop to help a stray WISH TO HIGH HEAVEN that the dog had tags and a microchip. These people are already making the effort to do the right thing.
Note to council: Do you know how many animals the shelter kills each year? Tens of thousands. And you can’t kill an animal for free, so killing more strays will cost more money. There goes the “no cost” theory. And Lord knows how much the lawsuit will cost the first time a stubborn do-gooder decides to sue for being fined for saving a dog’s life.
Here’s a truth: People who stop and grab a dog off a freeway or off a grocery store parking lot or out of a city park, HOPE they find the owner before they get stuck with a vet bill and having to find a home for the dog. But, as is often said, “No good deed goes unpunished.”
So why is a dog a stray? It’s probably not because someone stole it, though burglars have been known to take pets and give them to loved ones, or sell them to dogfighters as bait, or just drive them away and dump them. Yeah, sweet people.
I’ve been picking up stray dogs in Dallas for more than two decades and in all that time I have picked up exactly TWO dogs with tags and none with a microchip. Two. Two out of dozens and dozens. I suspect I am not alone in this. Legit people who pick up these wandering animals BEG people to put tags and collars on their animals and to implant chips. Beg, I’m telling you.
But the truth – the ugly truth -- simply seems to be that the people who had these dogs didn’t really care what happened to them. You may find a stray, but nobody else is looking for the dog.
These indifferent people don’t keep their pets’ meds up (this is evidenced by the high number of heartworm cases in strays), they don’t keep them properly restrained (that’s usually why they’re loose), they don’t have them microchipped and registered and if they put a collar on the dog, they strap it on when the dog is a puppy and it has to be cut out of the flesh when the dog is an adult.
Spay and neuter? Please. Where do you think puppies and kittens come from?
Once we found a beat-to-hell, chewed up Sharp-Pei staggering on a trash pile in an undeveloped area near Spur 408 and Mountain Creek Lake inside the Dallas city limits. The dog had apparently been used as “bait” in a dog fight, then thrown out of a moving vehicle in an unlit area of town. If I could have found the owner of that dog, the city would have had no problem locating him. If my intensespouse Martha had collared him, the city would never have been able to find a speck of him.
Some of the dogs I’ve found have been dumped in Kiest Park. It’s not the only park in which dogs are dumped. Dogs are even abandoned at the dog parks. They don’t have tags or chips or people who love them.
Now what will happen to those dogs? Do people stop trying to help them because of the possibility of arrest and fine?
While I am glad to see the council paying attention to the plight of animals in Dallas, this uninformed ordinance was not inspired by “lost” or “strayed” dogs, but by the theft of dogs -- and I can see Brad Kirby’s side of this but it is a side that is not as common as the simple act of rescuing a stray. As we reported here two years ago, Brad’s Huskies were stolen. He says he knows who stole them and even told police where the dogs were and who had them – you can get all those details on his website, www.lostdogsofdallas.com . The ordinance, while well-intentioned, is a product of tunnel vision.
These dogs were, again, not strays. There is no way their situation compares at all to a Good Samaritan stopping to save a dog from traffic or starvation in a city park.
People whose animals are victims of theft already have laws to protect the animals – but those laws are broken. Jerks and crooks break laws to steal animals. They’re not going to pay attention to this ordinance. They are already criminals. They don’t care. And they aren’t picking up strays – they’re stealing animals. This new law doesn’t apply to them.
This law just makes people think twice about saving a life. And, frankly, it suggests that people who pick up strays don’t want to see the animals back with their rightful owners. That is insulting to people who do go out every day with an eye and a heart open to protecting dogs and cats that have been betrayed by humans.
When it comes to strays in Dallas, there is a relatively small percentage of animals that people want back. Audit those claim checks at Dallas Animal Services.
On the whole (and euthanasia stats will bear this out, I suspect), this is a city where people are happy to walk out into the back yard and see an open gate, a hole dug under a fence, etc. Hooray, Fido has vanished! Hallelujah, we can go on vacation without having to find someone to stop by and feed and water the dog.
This new ordinance appears to have both good intention and potential for bad application and, of course, in the end, the person who finds a dog without ID has the option of violating a law or taking the dog to the city shelter, a place already filled with animals nobody wants. Oh, that person could keep the dog? Hah. Not in Dallas, the city with a limit. So, once again, the City of Dallas ultimately handles an animal problem the good ol’ traditional Texas way: Let’s kill it.
I look forward to reading the entire ordinance and also to seeing how the city council reacts to what surely will be a vigorous response to the passage of this ordinance.
And it seems unlikely that people who believe in picking up strays and saving their lives will stop what they're doing. Bless their hearts.
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