PEOPLE WHO WORK HARD FOR ANIMALS; LOVING ANIMALS; AN ARREST STORY

EDITION OF FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2024 [PetPowellPress] Constant drumbeat in the Greater Dallas/Fort Worth Bulging Shelters Area. Every city’s and county’s shelters and all rescue groups are loaded with animals nobody wants yet.
Oh, brother, do we have a Contemplations for you today. I’m saving it to last because I possibly will have cooled down by then and you don’t need it to start your reading day on our critter-friendly site.
ONE OF THE BLESSINGS
TEXAS/OKLA SHARE…
For years we’ve been writing about an animal rescuer, Terry Lynn Fisher, who works to save animals in the area of her hometown in far western Oklahoma, a place called Burns Flat.
This has been a rough year so far for Terry Lynn — lots of dumped puppies and injured animals and wandering “pets.” And, yet, Terry Lynn keeps on goin’ even if her latest email came with the subject line: “Some days, it’s honestly too much…”
Take a look at that photo Terry Lynn sent. Now read her note: “This momma — She still has milk, so there are babies somewhere.
“I’ve tried to slow down on taking more in. I have no room and I’m scheduling surgeries in between dog issues. When they called me on finding this one I said I couldn’t take anymore.
“Then, they sent me the picture.
“She was dumped in the middle of nowhere. She is starving to death. Sweet momma girl.
“My boys hurried and rigged up a kennel-like area to put her in. …I’ll go feed small meals every so many hours. I need help     She needs soft food. She needs a kennel. She needs vetting. “I’m in tears over this momma dog. My heart is honestly breaking. If anyone can help please let me know.”
Email Terry Lynn at [email protected].
MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE
THE SUPPLY OF ADORABLES
CONTINUES TO ARRIVE
As you may recall, the Mesquite Animal Shelter is one of those “really full” facilities in the Metroplex. And the “special” for the month is dog adoptions are just $25. Twenty-five bucks will add to your life and give a dog a new life.
This Mesquite dog is Sapphire and we got her story from our longtime dog bio-writin’ pal Judi Brown.
Judi opens with, “Can’t you just tell by looking at these photos that Sapphire is sweet? The shelter has her listed as a mixed breed. One time my Dog scanner said Doxie mix and another time it came up with Patterdale Terrier. Her front legs look like she’s got some Basset in her also.
“She’s just a sweet mix of love! She’s two years old and weighs 30 pounds. She came to the Mesquite Shelter on 6/14 as a stray. Because she was so timid and nervous it was hard to get a true reading on her personality. There’s no doubt she has a lot of potential and is very sweet. At this point, she would do best with a laid-back family with older children. She needs time to decompress and to build trust.”
Regarding a trip to the shelter yard, Judi wrote, “Because it was a warm day she wanted back in the shelter. She was telling me she doesn’t like the Texas heat and wants to be a mostly inside dog.” Sapphire is #56139666 when you contact the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected].
Judi also provided bio of this guy Rusty and wrote, “I don’t know if it would insult Rusty’s manhood to be called gorgeous, but that’s what he is! He needs to be groomed, and then would be even more stunning. Rusty is a 2 to 3 year old mostly Australian Shepherd that weighs 41 pounds. He was brought into the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 6/14 by one of our officers. I don’t know whether he was wandering for a while, or if he just was not well taken care of, but he had tangles, mats and some burrs. He was very patient being brushed out…even his tail! … He didn’t seem to know the sit command and was not interested in toys or balls. He did stay close, but he didn’t come to me except for one time. At that time he did let me pet him. I get the feeling he hasn’t had much socialization and doesn’t know how to accept love. …You can tell from his furry body, that he would be very soft and cuddly. With the amount of hair, he would not do well in the Texas heat and would need to be mostly an inside dog.”
His shelter ID is #56138626 when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283or email [email protected].
There are many other animals — dogs and cats — waiting for homes and humans at the Mesquite Animal Shelter. See them by clicking on this LINK .
For example, this is Annie (#56128968), a Rottie/terrier mix. And that cat? Little guy doesn’t have a name yet — answers to #55875653. Just past being 2 months old, he’s a little guy who came into the shelter on May 7.
And he’s currently in the quarantine section of the shelter. Waiting for someone to un-quarantine him. He’s “rescue only” right now. Could change if the right human comes to see him.
CONTEMPLATIONS
AN ODD CHARGE IN WILLS POINT
This news release came from the hard-working folks at the SPCA of Texas just west of Downtown Dallas. The headline on the release reads:
“Wills Point Animal Control Officer Arrested
as a Result of SPCA of Texas ACI Unit Investigation”.
Then, the news release read, “Michael Goggans, Animal Control Officer for the City of Wills Point, Charged with Animal Cruelty, Arrested.”
[LARRY ASIDE: Get ready to grit your teeth as you read this SPCA report.]
The release says that on Wednesday “an arrest warrant was issued for Michael Bradford Goggans, City of Wills Point Animal Control Officer. He was taken into custody and charged with Cruelty to Non-livestock Animals – Torture, which is a 3rd degree felony, and booked into the Van Zandt County Jail with a $50,000 bond.”
Keep reading. The SPCA report continues, “On Wednesday and Thursday, June 12 and 13, 2024, the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office responded to separate reports that an unaltered male, mixed breed dog named Rip, who belonged to Michael Goggans, was running at large and playfully jumping up on the neighbors.
“On the 13th, a sheriff’s deputy advised Goggans that he needed to keep the dog confined to his property and warned him that he would be issued a citation if he continued to allow the dog to run at large. 
“Goggans responded to the deputy’s warning by informing him of his intent to kill the dog. He contacted the deputy again to inform him that he had killed it and that the dog was in the front yard of his residence.”
[LARRY ASIDE: That is awful enough so far…Read on.]
The news release reads, “Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office personnel immediately contacted the SPCA of Texas Animal Cruelty Investigations (ACI) Unit who responded to Goggan’s property. Upon arrival, the SPCA Investigator met with Goggans, who identified himself as the Animal Control Officer for the City of Wills Point. He admitted to shooting and killing his dog with a shotgun and using a type of ammunition that is commonly utilized for bird or small game hunting.”
This next part? It’ll make a grown-up cry and want to sit in on the trial. The SPCA release continues:
“SPCA of Texas took the deceased dog into custody and transported it to their facility in Dallas for forensic evaluation. A necropsy was performed on the dog to determine the nature of the dog’s injuries that ultimately caused its death. On Wednesday, June 19, 2024, the forensic evaluation was completed, and the necropsy revealed that the dog was shot in its side from a distance with birdshot ammunition. Multiple tiny pellets entered the dog’s torso and caused the dog to slowly bleed out internally. This act caused unjustifiable pain and suffering to the dog before it succumbed to its injuries.”
[LARRY NOTE: We’re going to take a brief pause to consider what it took to get thedog to this despicable point. Gut shot slowly to death by the guy he probably thought loved him.’]
And there’s this from the release:
“Texas law does not prohibit an individual from euthanizing their own animal; however, it must be done in a humane manner that prevents pain and suffering,” said SPCA of Texas Chief Investigator, Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit, Courtney Burns, CAWA. “Unfortunately, in this case, the evidence shows that the dog suffered greatly at the hands of his owner and without any justifiable reason.”
[LARRY ASIDE: I do not have a photograph of the dog Rip. The SPCA did provide a photo of the accused, but I can’t bear to display the confessed accused’s picture in a website that supports adoration of animals and the people who protect them. My question about the death of Rip the Dog? “Why?”]
The SPCA of Texas, founded in 1938, has a place on its website to “rescue, heal and find homes for animals from cases of cruelty and neglect.” See it at www.spca.org/give.
[LARRY ASIDE: I’m a lot older than the guy accused of shotgunning his own dog. I’ve covered cold-blooded murders; a fatal gunfight over a lcafeteria lady allegedly insulting a second grader in lunch-line at a rural; school — heck, all sorts of man-made mayhem. It’s been a while since I raced out of the newsroom to “get the story.” But, had I been sent to the scene of Rip’s agony, I’d be asking this question: What kind of jerk shoots his own dog? Was he just trying to “teach the dog a lesson”? Note to the District Attorney: Don’t take a plea deal. Have a trial and let the public know the “why” of this dog’s death. Ask the court and jury for the maximum and forbid the defendant from ever being around dogs for the rest of his life. ]
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