I've Been Taken In By A Little Dog
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
On the way to Syracuse Wednesday evening to pick up kids at Grandma's house, my wife and I spotted a little Shih Tzu on the road.
It was just lying there, waiting to be struck by a car. We stopped and shooed it off the road. On the way back home, the dog was back on the road again. Fearing for its life - and now with two eager kids in the van - we scooped up the little guy.
For the next hour, we checked all the houses in the area. No luck. Nobody lost a Shih Tzu. Nobody even knew of anybody who owned a Shih Tzu.
Not knowing for sure what to do, we took the dog to Westwind Kennel where we board our dog from time to time.
The kennel operator, Angie Wright, graciously offered to keep the dog while we figured out what to do next.
When she looked at the little dog, she noted that it was probably old, judging by the condition of its eyes and teeth. It also doesn't appear to hear very well.
The dog obviously had been cared for because it had been groomed recently. It had two collars but no tags.
We figured those factors in addition to the fact that we couldn't find an owner nearby may have meant the dog was abandoned.
Now don't get me wrong. I am not an animal rights activist. I think people who go around spray-painting the backs of people wearing fur coats are nuts. I don't buy into the "fur is murder" argument.
But if you take on the responsibility to care for an animal, you really ought to follow through. All the way through.
Dumping a dog along the road to fend for itself is pretty cold. But it happens quite a bit.
Hilda Dorris, receptionist at the Kosciusko County Animal Shelter, sees it all the time.
"What makes it extra bad is when they're old or when they're puppies. They can't fend for themselves," she said. "People find real little ones along the road - kittens too. It's heartbreaking, it really is.
"Sometimes an older dog may have health problems. The owners know they will have vet bills so they figure it's time to get rid of them."
The animal shelter is full right now, home to nearly 100 animals. The adoption rate is pretty fair. About a third of the animals get adopted. Of course, we all know what happens to the rest.
"We euthanize every day," said Kay Amsden, shelter director. "And every year it gets worse. 1997 has increased tremendously."
As of Thursday morning, 212 animals were euthanized this month. In May 1996, 151 animals were euthanized. The number for May 1997 was 299 - almost double.
And for the first time this year, Amsden said she is seeing more owner releases than stray pickups.
"At times, people literally have to stand in line to get animals checked in," she said. Recently, the shelter took in 38 animals in one day. Most are large dogs and about a third of them are AKC breeds.
"Every month of the year it gets worse," she said. "It's mind-boggling. People don't realize how many animals we deal with."
Amsden has seen it all when it comes to animals. Her nominee for pet abuse poster child? The guy who shot a cat with a bow and arrow.
"The arrow went through its spine and came out its belly. The cat was still trying to run away," she said. "It's pretty scary. The animals never get to you. It's the people who get to you."
And Dorris has a shoe-in candidate for the pet abuse hall of shame.
"One day we had somebody drive by, open the car window and throw a dog out. The dog was running after the car. Now that was really heart-breaking," Dorris said.
If you have a pet, take care of it. If you want to get rid of a pet, deliver it properly to the animal shelter.
If you want to adopt a pet, call the shelter at 219-267-3008.
And if you lost a tan and gray Shih Tzu with a chocolate face in the Dewart Lake area, please call the animal shelter. Or call me. I'm in the book.
If nobody calls, I guess the Gerards are going to become proud owners of an aging Shih Tzu with bad teeth, cloudy vision and impaired hearing. I wonder if he'll get along with our elkhound.
Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age, but I figure the little guy deserves to live out the rest of his life in a friendly, comfortable place. [[In-content Ad]]
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On the way to Syracuse Wednesday evening to pick up kids at Grandma's house, my wife and I spotted a little Shih Tzu on the road.
It was just lying there, waiting to be struck by a car. We stopped and shooed it off the road. On the way back home, the dog was back on the road again. Fearing for its life - and now with two eager kids in the van - we scooped up the little guy.
For the next hour, we checked all the houses in the area. No luck. Nobody lost a Shih Tzu. Nobody even knew of anybody who owned a Shih Tzu.
Not knowing for sure what to do, we took the dog to Westwind Kennel where we board our dog from time to time.
The kennel operator, Angie Wright, graciously offered to keep the dog while we figured out what to do next.
When she looked at the little dog, she noted that it was probably old, judging by the condition of its eyes and teeth. It also doesn't appear to hear very well.
The dog obviously had been cared for because it had been groomed recently. It had two collars but no tags.
We figured those factors in addition to the fact that we couldn't find an owner nearby may have meant the dog was abandoned.
Now don't get me wrong. I am not an animal rights activist. I think people who go around spray-painting the backs of people wearing fur coats are nuts. I don't buy into the "fur is murder" argument.
But if you take on the responsibility to care for an animal, you really ought to follow through. All the way through.
Dumping a dog along the road to fend for itself is pretty cold. But it happens quite a bit.
Hilda Dorris, receptionist at the Kosciusko County Animal Shelter, sees it all the time.
"What makes it extra bad is when they're old or when they're puppies. They can't fend for themselves," she said. "People find real little ones along the road - kittens too. It's heartbreaking, it really is.
"Sometimes an older dog may have health problems. The owners know they will have vet bills so they figure it's time to get rid of them."
The animal shelter is full right now, home to nearly 100 animals. The adoption rate is pretty fair. About a third of the animals get adopted. Of course, we all know what happens to the rest.
"We euthanize every day," said Kay Amsden, shelter director. "And every year it gets worse. 1997 has increased tremendously."
As of Thursday morning, 212 animals were euthanized this month. In May 1996, 151 animals were euthanized. The number for May 1997 was 299 - almost double.
And for the first time this year, Amsden said she is seeing more owner releases than stray pickups.
"At times, people literally have to stand in line to get animals checked in," she said. Recently, the shelter took in 38 animals in one day. Most are large dogs and about a third of them are AKC breeds.
"Every month of the year it gets worse," she said. "It's mind-boggling. People don't realize how many animals we deal with."
Amsden has seen it all when it comes to animals. Her nominee for pet abuse poster child? The guy who shot a cat with a bow and arrow.
"The arrow went through its spine and came out its belly. The cat was still trying to run away," she said. "It's pretty scary. The animals never get to you. It's the people who get to you."
And Dorris has a shoe-in candidate for the pet abuse hall of shame.
"One day we had somebody drive by, open the car window and throw a dog out. The dog was running after the car. Now that was really heart-breaking," Dorris said.
If you have a pet, take care of it. If you want to get rid of a pet, deliver it properly to the animal shelter.
If you want to adopt a pet, call the shelter at 219-267-3008.
And if you lost a tan and gray Shih Tzu with a chocolate face in the Dewart Lake area, please call the animal shelter. Or call me. I'm in the book.
If nobody calls, I guess the Gerards are going to become proud owners of an aging Shih Tzu with bad teeth, cloudy vision and impaired hearing. I wonder if he'll get along with our elkhound.
Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age, but I figure the little guy deserves to live out the rest of his life in a friendly, comfortable place. [[In-content Ad]]