w w w . S t r a y d o g* . o r g U p d a t e
POSTED EVERY DAY AT NOON & FIVE P.M. CENTRAL TIME U.S.A.
Straydog Inc., The Arnolds' Happy Home for Strays, a No-Kill Dog Shelter
P.O. Box 1465, Gun Barrel City, Texas 75147 * (903) 479-3497 * EMAIL: straydog@straydog.org

* When Straydog is in red, we're running out of funds to sustain our mission.

Bill Arnold's Daily Straydog Log

WEDNESDAY MARCH 17 2004

NOON UPDATE:

Big storm last night that lasted only a short while

      At about 6:30 p.m. I photographed the first storm that passed by to the north of Straydog. Later on we got hit by the next batch of storms, but they lasted only about a half hour.

The first storm passed by north of Straydog, missing us. It was dark when the next storm hit us.

Yesterday's visit to Dr. Reeves in Tyler

      For some reason Erin's emailed vet report hasn't arrived yet, but here are the photos she took:

Katie gets laser treatment on her bad eye.

Katie after her eye treatment.

Jasmine's ear infection is clearing up well. Dr. Reeves said we'd done a good job cleaning them every day.

Juana carries Puppy William back to his kennel upon his return. The sore on his tummy is "nothing to worry about."

Katie walks back to her kennel from the van. The doctor is very pleased (as are we) with her progress.

At almost 11:00 a.m. Erin's report (or part of it) finally arrives

      Dr. Reeves was very busy today and couldn't see Trixie, whose hips are very bad, but he did have time to see the other four dogs, including Katie, whom he always has time for. We told Dr. Reeves that Katie hopped and ran in the park chasing after Tina who was carrying some new treats left over from the Sunday dog training session, and Katie also resumed her barking in the park, which riles up all the dogs in the kennels surrounding the park.

      Katie's skin feels more supple too we think. The doctor smiled and asked his wife, Janice, to bring Katie a dog treat before her acupuncture treatment. Janice brought a medium-small dog biscuit, and before the doctor got a full sentence out about probably having to break up the biscuit because it was so hard, Katie had gobbled it up! "Janice," the doctor said. "We'll have to have another one!"

      When another client came in, Dr. Reeves left Tina and me to watch Katie getting her laser treatment and told us when the timer went off, we could take Katie back to the van, but then Katie barked several times as Tina was trying to get her down off the table, and the doctor said, "Wait, she's not through yet!" He then did a networking session on Katie, and smiled at her as Old Sassy Katie continued to bark.

      "We can learn a lot from Katie about life," Dr. Reeves said. "She's a fighter. She's not giving up. Just think if it were us. We can learn a lot from the animals if we pay attention."

      Erin didn't write about Rocky, but she told me after they returned last evening that the recurring dark blood in Rocky's stool doesn't look good (by which we're all sure the doctor means the big "C"). We are to give Rocky three daily treatments of Panacur to rule out any possibility of worms before we go any further.

      A last minute email from Erin says: We will also fax over Rocky's blood work to Dr. Aiken and Dr. Reeves. Juana told me that Dr. Morton said that Rocky's white cell count was high, but he too, like Dr. Reeves, wanted to try simpler medicines first to see if we could clear up poor Rocky's problem.

Several recent emails

Bill,

Thanks to you for printing Michelle's email [the email about causing a wreck by stopping to save a dog]. I enjoyed it very much and totally empathize with her actions and feelings. I think most of your readers-contributors would have done the same thing. Those of us who love animals so much are so saddened to read of people who would actually run over a dog rather than stop to help. Just a small story. Many, many years ago when I was riding in the car with my beloved cousin, a devoted dog lover, we came upon a man hitting a dog under an underpass at Forest Lane and the Tollway. Jimmy jumped out of the car, and he, being 6 ft. 4, was rather intimidating. He told the man to stop hitting the dog or else (who knows what that would have meant?! ). The fellow said "Here, you can have him," so Jimmy did indeed take the dog home to join his other dogs, all of whom he had also rescued at one time or another.

We all can make a difference if we try. My great affection to you and Erin and all your staff. You don't need to reply to this as I know how busy all of you are. I just wanted to share my story too and let you know how much I admire your dedication.

M E

 

Poppa Bill,

We just wanted to say, Thank God for people like Suzanne, Michelle, and, of course, Momma Pat, because without them, we would have never survived to write you this note. We will always be grateful.

[Blind] Stevie & Little Pete Nicholson

Dear Bill,


I didn't get to read the actual [Steve Blow] column in the paper, but I was very touched by "Michelle's" email to you. A friend of mine did a similar rescue a few years ago and could have gotten killed as well.

She was traveling through North Dallas on I-635 on a rainy day when she saw a Sheltie crossing the median at a distance in front of her. As soon as the dog crossed into the road, he was hit by a pick-up truck so hard it sent him flying across a couple of lanes. My friend never saw any brake lights come on, nor did the driver pull over to check on the dog. He just kept on driving! My friend stopped her car and walked out into the middle of LBJ and got the injured dog so he wouldn't get run over, which was no easy task on a busy highway. She immediately took the dog to her vet. He had a bruised heart and a lot of internal injuries. My friend told her vet that money was not an issue if they could save this dog's life. In the meantime she searched the local papers for "lost dog" ads and found one that matched. As it turned out the Sheltie belonged to an older gentleman in Dallas who lived not too far from where the dog had been hit. The Sheltie had disappeared out of the yard three weeks prior, and the man was devastated about the loss. This dog was 11 years old and had been raised by him and his late wife. After the death of his wife the dog was the only companion the man had.

The owner and the dog were reunited at the vet clinic. My friend said the dog recognized the man but was so weak it could only wag its tail. The man cried and thanked my friend over and over for rescuing his beloved pet. Unfortunately the dog's internal injuries were too severe and he died within a few days.

The most important thing about the story is that a person had closure on what happened to his lost companion.

I'd like to hear from anyone who does not get touched by this story. I cried as my friend was telling me about the reunion between the man and his dog. Even though it was not a happy ending, the man was so grateful he got to spend the last few days of the dog's life with him.

I would have given my friend a medal for her heroic efforts, but she was just happy to see dog and owner reunited.

Renate

Bill,

It would be interesting to hear the percentages of people who bother to email you about this wonderful woman [Suzanne Darsey] and what she did - pro or con. [All the emails were positive, Beverly.] She is a heroine in my book and if I leave this earth while in the service of an animal, that would be fine with me. If a child or an injured person were in the street needing help, we can all be assured that every agency in the area would be there to help: police, fire department, social services - you name it. The number of people who would risk danger to give aide a helpless animal is unfortunately very small.

So Bravo to that brave young woman and Bravo to Michelle who wrote about saving the white dog in the storm. My recently departed "Charlie" was brought into my life in the same manner (hit in the street - the driver drove off), and while I could not have done anything other than stop to help, no other effort in my whole life has brought the same bounty of rewards.

Puppy William is so cute! I am hopeful that the little boy who brought his money ["the $5 deposit"] will grow up and turn into one of "us."

Beverly F.

Bill,

I read about the Horrible Human who was so eager to "drop off" a dog with an attitude, so that she would not miss her lunch date, and I really wanted to find out who that was and BITE her! How can anyone with God-given ability to walk upright, have opposable thumbs, use a telephone and has acquired language be so incredibly STUPID? I don't believe that this bipedal primate deserves the term "human." Don't the police get called when human children are abandoned?


Consuelo

 

FIVE P.M. UPDATE

Our first "hot" day for the dogs

      The low 80s is kind of nice for us, but there wasn't a dog at Straydog who didn't have his tongue hanging out panting this afternoon. Eighty degrees, of course, is nothing like it's going to be in a couple of months.

      We've already put a swimming pool ("kiddie pool"--$7 at Wal-Mart) in each kennel, and we're making sure there are shaded areas in all the kennels for the dogs to lie in.

      Nothing much else to report this afternoon. I'm posting a little early because I have to go to town for the mail and to mail some letters. I've also got to stop at Wal-Mart for some blood glucose test strips for diabetic Julie, which cost $74 for 100 strips. We use between five and eight strips per day checking Julie's blood sugar level. (The brand we use is "Free Style Test Strips.")