Straydog UPDATE posted SATURDAY 2/22/03 at ~9:47 p.m. CT

Pat Arnold's Daily Dog Log

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 22 2003

No dogs adopted today from our shelter

      We are really sorry we had to cancel our Adoption Day in Dallas today, but when we are short-handed, we need all the help we have at our shelter just to keep our daily operations running smoothly for the dogs. Our daily schedule stays the same, every single day, seven days a week, which schedule includes feeding the dogs and puppies two times a day (or more if need be for anyone needing special care such as motherless pups), walking each set of dogs from their kennel to the big play yard for a play period and then walking them back to their kennel again, which takes from 7:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. While "dog walks" are in progress the kennel team members go from kennel to kennel, cleaning each kennel, which includes picking up poop, filling holes, dumping and scrubbing water buckets, etc., and then from 1:00 p.m. till 6:00 p.m. caregivers go to each and every kennel giving hands-on care to each and every dog. The special-needs dogs need much more attention, so everyone here is busy every single second of the day. To be short-handed makes it rough to keep to the schedule, but we managed.

Update on the golf course strays

      Many people continue to email about the golf course stray dog family, and the update so far, at 6:00 p.m. this Saturday evening, is that only the one pup has been rescued, and he is being held by Animal Control.

Dallas Animal Control Continues with the rescue mission

      It appears that many people from the Dallas Animal Control department have also taken a lot of interest in this family of strays, and they have been very helpful in the ongoing rescue of the dogs.

The remaining three dogs are seen back at golf course

      Pam met with several women from Animal Control at the golf course this morning to show them the dogs, who fortunately were back in their usual spot, and the women with Animal Control saw for themselves that the dogs are nice dogs, just fearful of the people trying to "catch" them. Because the golf course has so many people walking around it (playing golf) Saturdays, Animal Control had to call off their rescue mission with the sedative dart guns until this coming Monday. (They will, however, be leaving the traps.) Animal Control assured Pam that they will continue with their rescue efforts.

      Because the weather will be getting colder and more rain is a possibility, the women from Animal Control covered the traps with tarps to protect the dogs from the bad weather, just in case the dogs do happen to go in the traps after the food left inside.

We thank Animal Control

      We thank everyone from the Animal Control department who has helped with this rescue mission. We know "this is their job," and we also know that it can be very difficult, and I'm sure oftentimes very heartbreaking.

      We are just grateful that they care about the well-being of every dog or pup that they receives calls about.

      We have been assured that when dogs and pups are captured and taken to the pound, they are given humane treatment while waiting in fear 72 hours for their "lost" guardian/owners to come and "save" them.

Pam goes to visit Bear at the pound

      Pam went to the pound to visit with Bear, and she said that he was so scared he was shaking. We've now been told that the law requiring the pound to keep the dogs for the 72-hour-waiting period is to allow time for the guardian/owners of "lost" animals to come and get their pets--not to see if a dog might come down with rabies as we earlier reported.

I will call Animal Control first thing Monday

      I will call Dallas Animal Control first thing Monday morning to ask them to please release this frightened young pup to our Straydog shelter, so that the pup won't have to endure further traumatizing by having to live in fear for four more days at the pound. We want to give him the love and immediate medical attention he needs.

      Bear is known to be homeless, as are his parents and siblings, and everyone at the golf course can attest to this. He has never had an owner/guardian, and Bill and I would like nothing more than to bring this frightened little fellow to our Happy Home for Strays right now.

      It's heartbreaking (and very depressing) that we can't bring them all to our shelter.