A stolen dog, a mother dog and other tales...

Some days there is just no way to ease into a column about the world of animals.
So, grit your teeth and read on about theft at one shelter and the death of a mother at another.
AFTERNOON UPDATE ON THE STOLEN DOG IN IRVING: One of our reliable tipsters tells us that two people have been arrested and the stolen dog has been found safe. More details will follow as soon as we get them from the City of Irving. (Following this note is the story about the stolen dog.)
BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR A STOLEN DOG: Someone posted this note on Craigslist first, then we got an e-mail or two, and we decided to check out the facts with the City of Irving. After all, it was from the Irving Animal Shelter that the big Argentine Dogo was stolen, all the notes said.
Sure enough, our journalistic trail to “find the best source” and confirm the facts led us to the City of Irving Police Department which issued the official story yesterday in the late afternoon. The official statement also included this photo of Wylie, the stolen dog, and two people that Irving has identified as the prime suspects in the case. Just FYI: Wylie was in the shelter because he’d been picked up as a stray.
From the official Irving Police statement, we learn the following:
The theft of 8-month-old Wylie was discovered during a “routine inventory of the shelter” at 4140 Valley View Lane in Irving. When it was determined that Wylie was missing, the shelter’s surveillance video was reviewed and “it was discovered that the suspects ... took the dog over the fence and fled the scene. The animal shelter staff notified the Irving Police Department of the theft and police are now investigating the offense.”
If you know the whereabouts of Wylie or the suspects or have any information that may help in the case, call the Irving Police Department at 972-273-1010 or the Irving Animal Care Campus at 972-721-2258.
The statement was not issued earlier because of the holiday weekend.
GARLAND IS THE HOT TOPIC  AGAIN: The e-mails came in droves  and they all had the same subject line:  “Garland, Texas shelter murders a dog today.”
We don’t know how much of this is true. Some people won’t doubt it -- many people are inclined to believe the worst about Garland. Others will be aghast. And, still, others will say, “So what. One less unwanted, vicious dog.”  Some people, however, are unenlightened and, of course, are content to be blissfully unaware of injustices.
The story is a rescuer went to the shelter on Jan. 4 to remove this mom and her puppies and was loading the momma dog into a car when she tried to lift her by holding her underside and the tender dog, surprised by the pain and the lift, bit the rescuer, who did not blame the dog for the incident.
The shelter took immediate repossession of the mother dog, put her into bite quarantine, and yesterday killed the “vicious” dog.  That’s the story in the e-mails, though there has been no official confirmation.
Most of the e-mails target shelter manager Diana Oats as the villain in this case. She has been a frequent target of pro-animal types, going back to the much-publicized struggle over eliminating the gas chamber at the shelter and individual cases such as the gassing of a “vicious” Chihuahua just as rescuers were making a place for her outside the shelter.
There has been no statement by the shelter regarding this dog’s situation – no acknowledgment that she has been euthanized or that she has not and has been placed with another rescue group, though, placing the 3-week-old nursing puppies with one group and the mom with another seems unlikely.
The e-mail that is circulating is overwhelmingly against the shelter. And the shelter has issued no statement.
[ASIDE: One of the e-mails that arrived at Readlarrypowell.com noted that a petition to save the dog’s life had “almost 100,000 signatures.” Of course, as is the problem with these online petitions, nobody can immediately pinpoint just whom the petition was delivered to or what the mechanism for delivery was. I guess people think if they sign an online petition, there is some kind of Batpetition signal that flashes in the sky and the people who ought to be listening immediately perk up and do the right thing. I’m sure I’m wrongheaded about this and I’ll be happy to listen to anyone who can tell me how this Garland petition was delivered to someone of influence in the city.]
This photo is said to be the mother dog and her puppies. Could be. We don’t know because there’s no official statement regarding this case. All the information is coming from people who already have an ax to grind against the Garland shelter. And, perhaps, that is the way the City of Garland wants it – ignore it and it will go away. Of course, that didn’t work for the gassing controversy.
PRECIOUS UPDATE: Last week we mentioned a cat named Precious who had lost her human. Efforts were being made to find the sweet senior at a good home. Connie Criswell reports that Precious was taken “to a nice home on Sunday afternoon - it is a trial to see if Precious and the owner's cat are going to get along with each other, so I can't say for certain that Precious has found a permanent home.” Looks good so far.
REVISITING THE BLIND HEELER IN FORT WORTH: There may be some hope for this blind heeler, first mentioned here on January 14 thanks to the efforts of Ginger  Leach, the tireless tipster at Fort Worth Animal Care and Control. The dog appears to be blind in both eyes. Ginger describes him as “the most wonderful dog ever!”
Teresa Jennings, an Irving-based rescuer and hustler of critters in trouble, has contacted Texas Cattle Dog Rescue and “I have some good news,” she says.
TCDR will take the dog if a suitable foster can be found. The dog isn’t out of trouble yet, but it has a place to land if it can get a place to stay.
 The rescue group will screen the foster home. In this “special needs” instance, they’ll require that the dog not be boarded but live in a home setting.  The foster may have the dog longer than usual – blind dogs are not that easy to place, sometimes.  There are other minor requirements, but, basically, this dog can be saved if someone will commit to giving him a temporary home that is just like a forever home.
You can get a foster application HERE. E-mail your application to [email protected]. You can also talk about the dog with Ginger – contact her at [email protected] or call 817-392-7087 or 817-680-0849.
HELPING A VET TECH HELP A CAT: Edna Taylor, the reliable Siamese tipster who also saves dogs in Houston, sent us this note from Tiffany Haines, a vet tech at Summerwood Veterinary Clinic in Houston.
Tiffany’s mom has become ill and her living situation has changed, so Tiffany is trying to find a new, good home for little Sasha, a cat who was rescued as a kitten a few years ago when her litter was abandoned.
Since then, Sasha has become a beloved family cat. But things have changed and Tiffany is trying to find a good place for this cat to go.
To ask about adopting this cat, call Tiffany at 832-868-0383.
CONTEMPLATIONS: We started today’s report with the theft of a dog from a shelter, then reported on a controversy at another shelter. Sometimes I think the world of politics is a freak show, then I think, no, it’s showbiz that is the freak show. But then, I open my e-mail and decide that the world of animals is the planet’s reigning genuine freak show. Good hearts clash with good hearts. Good hearts clash with bad hearts.  And then there are the people who ignore the whole shebang. Disheartening sometimes.  You’d think that here in the year 2011, when people are so smart they can write messages on their phones rather than make calls, that we’d have evolved to a place where the simplest act of helping an animal would not result in bullheadedness, catfights and conflicts.  Get me a bicarbonate. ... Following up on yesterday's note about favorite Tex-Mex restaurants and meals, we'd like to note that Gonzalez on Jefferson in Oak Cliff has the best french fries in North America. Just a  fact. ... Now, let's all be good to each other, mindful of the quirks of life and quick to forgive. And signal when you change lanes.
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