FRIDAY EXTRA EDITION, JULY 15, 2022, [PetPowellPress] We have some stories that may touch hearts and those hearts may be
the key to solving these situ- ations.
Let’s get right into the challen- ges. What we have is a home that can’t find its dog and a dog who can’t find his new home.
Humans are the answer. The wisecrack would be, “I’d never want to be in that kind of a fix.” But, the reality is that it is the humans with heart who are going to resolve these situations.
We learned of the needs from our longtime pal and animalfan Gail Whelan, founder of the Companion Animal Network. These are the faces of the dogs we’re helping. Bandit is the German Shepherd/Bloodhound mix and Izzie is the missing Sheepadoodle.
THE MISSION?
RETURN IZZIE TO ASHTON
Ashton Herring’s beloved Izzie was stolen in Houston. Gail sent us a note about the search at mid-week after hearing of this months-long search from Ashton.
The brief appeal read, “My dog, Izzie, was taken while in the care of a trainer. The trainer reported her stolen on May 28, 2022, but she has been away from home since April 11, 2022. She is a very friendly, chipped and spayed 5-year-old Sheepadoodle. She weighs about 70 pounds. She could be anywhere, so I am trying to spread the word far and wide.
“I have a Facebook page (Find Izzie), Instagram (@izziethe sheep adoodle), and a website (www.find izzie.com) with details and updates. Please help me keep an eye out for Izzie.
“Thank you, Izzie’s mom, Ashton.”
There are roads, highways, railroad tracks and airplane routes that lead out of Houston to just about anywhere in the state, nation or world. Izzie has to be somewhere connected to Houston. Maybe down the street from you, Dear Readers in the Metrosprawl. Keep your eyes open. Why? Because the human isn’t just missing the dog, the dog is missing the human. Click on the poster to make it grow.
Ashton told us, “I have received lots of possible sightings; nothing has panned out yet. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office took the report for the theft from the trainer but has more or less closed the case due to insufficient evidence.
“I had not used this trainer before but more than half a dozen of my coworkers had and he was highly recommended. A couple of coworker dogs were with him at the same time Izzie was. …
“Izzie is 5 years old and she has been with me since she was 8.5 weeks old. She is from Red Rooster Kennels. The breeder is a friend and former coworker.”
[LARRY ASIDE: We’ve included a copy of the posted notice. In case you want to copy it and spread it around to people you know who have good hearts.]
BANDIT, AT AGE 4, SPENDING
ALL OF LIFE IN FOSTER CARE
That headline represents Bandit’s past. He may be on the brink of a permanent happy future. It’ll just take someone who can love him and understand his extraordinary triumphs. He’s worked and “been worked” at being the “good dog” he was born to be.
You could be the good dog companion YOU WERE BORN TO BE.
When Gail Whelan sent the note about Bandit, I contacted his contact, Samantha “Sam” Ofeno. And I got a look at the photographs of this guy. He looked pretty happy and I wondered just what in the heck was up. Why was this bright-eyed, perky dog not in a lifetime home?
And now there’s new pressure — he’s losing his longtime foster home but not because of anything he’s done. You’ll see that it’s a happy reason.
Sam, who works with newly-formed Scrufflands Animal Rescue at scrufflands.org, knows Bandit’s foster family and is trying help Bandit find a forever home, a foster home or a rescue that’ll respect and love him.
Foster homes are loving homes — as foster fans know! Fosters are the heroic people whose love and patience can shape a wary dog or terrified cat into a trusting animal who is ready to be a companion to a human. Or humans.
Bandit’s case was the result of bad decisions by humans when he was a puppy. Read on and focus your anger and disgust on helping Bandit find a home.
Sam writes that Bandit is “a German Shepherd/Bloodhound mix, neutered, fully vaccinated and microchipped and has graduated advanced classes at the Lucky Dog Training Center in Keller.
“Bandit has been in foster care for almost 4 years! He came to his current foster as a rescue when he was 8-9 weeks old; he was the last of an accidental litter.”
[LARRY ASIDE: Here comes that paragraph that will stir your anger, then, perhaps, touch your heart on behalf of Bandit.]
Sam writes, “The previous owners locked the mother dog in a room with the puppies and did not touch them until they were 8-9 weeks old. At that point, the mother started attacking the puppies.
“This led to Bandit having several behavioral issues if you touched him while he was laying down or sleeping when he was a baby. His amazing foster has spent a lot of time and energy working him through these issues and now he goes to doggie daycare and is one of the more submissive dogs. The foster's 3-pound Chihuahua bullies him and his best friend is their 10-pound PomChi. He is so sweet and gentle with her.
“He LOVES children and does great with older children. Toddlers and babies are a little too hyper for him."
But there is this challenge. Sam writes, “Bandit still has some issues to work through and this has made it difficult for him to find a forever home. He has some attention deficiency issues. If he notices something outside or gets too excited he will knock down whatever is in his path to try to get to it. He also will still growl on occasion, if he is sleeping/laying down and you brush up against him. BUT HE DOES NOT BITE. He simply will growl and run away.
“His foster continues to work with him through these issues, but the family is in a situation where they are not able to continue to foster him due to expanding their family.”
[LARRY ASIDE: Yes, there’s a baby on the way — no doubt a loving child who’ll carry on the family tradition of helping and understanding animals.]
Now, here’s an insightful paragraph from Sam — it really pegs the human challenge: “After 4 years of searching, the fosters have not found a family or sanctuary group willing to even meet him once they hear that he occasionally growls. And with his issues, he will not make it out of a shelter. He needs to find a family with older children and maybe a couple of other big dogs that like to be active. He needs to be able to get his energy out, and not be stressed out and overly excited with too much going on around him, which is the situation he is currently in.”
Sam reports, “His foster says that one-on-one, Bandit will follow any command you throw at him, and is very smart, picking up even the hardest of tricks in one or two tries. We know if someone were to just take time to meet him they would understand why he deserves a great home and a chance. He is a very sweet, loving dog that just needs someone to take a chance on him. If you are able to help us with this rescue please let me know.”
The dog is in Keller, one of the many growing cities on the northern side of Fort Worth. And, Sam says, Bandit can be transported “anywhere in Texas, or anywhere else in the U.S. if needed. And he is going to come with a $500 donation to the rescue that can take him in because we just want to make sure he is taken care of and has everything he needs so badly. I can tell it’s reaching a time of desperation, so of course, I told her [the expectant mom who loves Bandit] that I would take some time to assist in the efforts to see if we can find any options for him out there!”
To offer to give Bandit the home his friends dream he’ll always have, get in touch with Samatha by emailing ofenosam@gmail.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS
Outside of considering the possibility that I may never own a Jaguar or a Rolls Royce, or that I may never again ride a passenger train from Texarkana to El Paso or that I may never learn to forgive gravity and just get onto a jetliner without a sweaty panic, I have nothing to contemplate right now. I’ve already had breakfast and exceeded my pre-noon calorie intake. By the way, I found my cat Stevie Ray — finally — this morning. I’ll tell that story of shock, panic and discovery some other time. You know how mysterious cats can be. My advice? Make sure you cat doesn’t lose his cell phone or let the battery run down. You think I’m kidding. But am I?
—- Offer cat tips and dog thoughts by clicking on COMMENT below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put GET SOME REST, WACKJOB in the subject line. And help Izzy and Bandit. Pass it on. —-
