Bill Arnold's Daily Straydog Log

FRIDAY MARCH 19 2004

NOON UPDATE:

Lots of emails in reference to yesterday's Straydog Update

Bill,

Seriously, why not do what you want to do? You still could become a Vet - consider that you have at least 30 more years during which you could concentrate on spaying and neutering pets.
Scholarships should be available.

Why not go for it?

Regards,
Erda H.

[Thanks for the 30 years, Erda. But I often feel that I don't have even 30 months left. But then when I go visit my 95-year-old father (which I will do this evening, returning to Straydog tomorrow afternoon) I am inspired to try to live another 31 years, which is how much older Dad is than I.

Also, a veterinarian (who shall remain anonymous) told me that he taught the director of an animal shelter how to spay and neuter. Apparently it is not against the law for any of us to perform medical procedures on animals. Please correct me, anyone, if this information is incorrect. But if it is legal for non-vets to perform spay and neuter surgeries, why aren't tons of individuals being trained to do this? The vet who gave me this information said that he did lose his license for a while because he was caught providing anesthetics to the shelter director whom he'd taught to perform these surgeries.]

Bill,

Please see that every dog you all have adopted out has put a guardian out there to speak about adoption and spay and neuter. That's a big thing. Sometimes it takes more time than we want to win this overpopulation war. Maybe it won't be won in our lifetime, but let's hope so. Wish I knew where the Momma dog was. Jim would try and save her I'm sure. When Jim gets his check tomorrow, we'll send a donation to your vet. I see the red! Hope you guys got the care box and the candy didn't melt.

Bye,
Deana

[Thanks for the "care box," Deana. And the candy and all the other goodies are just fine, thanks!]

From: "Sue D.
To: straydog@straydog.org
Subject: Keep It Up!
Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 14:16:31 -0600

Bill--

I read with sadness and frustration your daily missive today (in fact, several of them over the past few days have been quite upsetting). I can understand how insurmountable your task of taking care of more and more and more dogs must seem--especially with the constant worry of finances hanging over your head. It must seem that you haven't made even a dent in the problem, and perhaps you haven't yet, but I hope you derive great comfort and satisfaction from looking at the wagging tails, bright eyes, and grateful doggies you have in your care. I am an avid animal lover, and I so admire and thank you and your family for taking on this perpetual job of caring for these dogs--I know I could not do it myself. I lost our golden retriever of 15-1/2 years about seven months ago, and I still can't bring myself to even think about replacing her. I don't know how you all do it. The emotional toll must be tremendous.

I just wanted to thank you and give you a big thumbs-up for the wonderful service you all provide and let you know how much you are appreciated -- even if you don't hear it often.

God bless you!!

Sue D.

Straydog,

Why do people always want SOMEONE ELSE to come help the poor animals! If this woman would just put a leash on the dog and get her to one of the shelters, the dog would at least have a 50/50 chance. If she always assumes someone else will come to their rescue, she is so wrong. I commend you on your patience with these people because I certainly would not have it. I volunteered at the SPCA for eight years, and believe me I have heard every lame excuse in the world. I doubt this woman had any excuse that she could not herself take this animal somewhere safe, except that it was too much trouble. There are numerous animal shelters all over town, and I will be the first to admit they are not the greatest things in the world, but as I said at least a 50/50 chance of survival is better than a 100% chance of starving or dying in the road. Geez!!

Lana I.

My dearest Bill and friends at Straydog ...

It made my heart heavy today, reading your daily update about Pat's last days at Straydog, and the continual Sisyphean task of taking in the unwanted, unplanned, and unhealthy dogs and cats that are lucky enough to find themselves there...and the sadness of knowing what happens to the ones who you never see but you know are out there. Many of my dog friends and I are often saying "If I won the lottery, I would get a property and take in all the stray dogs," but I don't know if any of us would have the courage and heart to do what you and Pat did, even if we did win the lottery. I wish I could win the lottery and give it all to you.

When I was practicing medical oncology, I often found myself feeling overwhelmed at the losing battle I was fighting. I tried focusing on making sure that I took the best care of the patient at hand, but after fifteen years and too many deaths, I found out that I was just not tough enough for that ongoing, always losing, and horrible battle. I still love practicing medicine, but I only rediscovered that love of the profession when I stepped back, refocused my energies on the battles that I could win from time to time. I had to learn to say "No, you cannot fight cancer, AND the male-dominated profession, AND the private practice treadmill!" because even though it earned me lots of dollars, the toll it took on my soul and body was just not worth it. I think that perhaps a little more practice on saying "No" and focusing energy on education of the public - not just on spaying and neutering - but on education on what OTHER options there are for unwanted dogs and cats out there is something that Straydog can do.

Poor old Bob Barker, the game show host, has been selling "Spay and Neuter" messages on his television show for decades now, bless his heart. And the SPCA, and the different Humane Societies have been putting out the message as well. One area of the problem that I was unaware of until I became more involved in rescue is the activity of puppy mills and the sale of dogs (and cats) in pet stores, raising dogs as an agricultural product, rather than as companions, and the result is a glut of puppies with little attention paid to their health and potential genetic ailments, and the horrible mistreatment of the "breeding stock." In a way, the raid on the puppy mill in Van Zandt County had a positive side: it publicized the horrible conditions that these dogs are raised in and how sick these dogs are in these places. They are like concentration camps. You have enough to do without wasting time reading my rants, dear hearts, but I just wish I could win a lottery ... or offer words that give you strength in this ongoing struggle. I have not won a lottery, and I no longer make the mega-bucks I used to, but you know you have my prayers, and my support, and I will be there at every Adoption Day that I can.

All my love,
Consuelo

Bill

I visit your site everyday for an update on you (used to be Pat) and the goings-on at Straydog. One of the high spots of my day is to read your updates and look at the pictures of the babies. I too am an animal lover and feel the same frustrations that you (and Pat) do about the heartless attitude that a lot of people have concerning animals. I live in Caddo Mills on a dirt road, and the people out there let their dogs runs loose to be run over, poisoned, shot or eaten by coyotes. I even threw a neighbor off my land and threatened him with bodily harm if he ever came back because he admitted to poisoning dogs with antifreeze.

The first thing I did when I moved there was to put up a fence so my babies would be safe. I do what I can to save these other animals but sometimes it is not enough, and it is so heartbreaking. Please don't give up your crusade, as frustrating as it seems sometimes, because the rewards far outweigh the frustration. When you look into the eyes of puppies you have saved and see their tails wag, that is your reward, and heaven holds a special place for people such as you and Pat.

I remember something my grandmother told me many, many years ago: If you ever run across a person that a dog does not like, then be wary of that person. I have found that to be true in so many cases.

Bridget S.

Update on Benny, emailed to us from his new dad

Good morning,

I just wanted to bring you up to date on Benny, the black lab mix, we adopted from Straydog on 6 March, 04.

Probably due to the fact that he had lived in a shelter all his life, Benny was quite nervous in his new surroundings at first. Any noise, person or object that was new to him would bring on a series of growls and barks, especially when my mother-in-law came to visit. He would never act vicious or attempt to bite; he was just nervous. By the end of my mother-in-law's stay, however, they and Benny were the best of friends.

We started out with walks around the yard, giving Benny time to familiarize himself with everything. As time progressed, we ventured around the block, again giving him time to familiarize himself with the surroundings. Now we are able to go around the neighborhood park, approximately two miles, without much trouble. He walks by our side, not wanting to venture away too far on his leash, and he still lets out an occasional growl when taken by surprise, but he is adjusting very well.

Benny and our cat Hobbes have come to a mutual understanding: they ignore each other. They maintain their distance when in the same room, but no longer run away when they see each other. Hopefully in time they will learn to play together.

Our vet is very pleased with Benny too. He told us Benny was in great shape and that you must have taken very good care of him. Which brings up a point: Do you happen to have a copy of Benny's most recent vaccination records? If so, please fax or mail a copy. [Erin is handling this.]

We are very grateful for Benny. He is turning out to be a wonderful companion for us.

Good luck and kindest regards,

Leroy H.

An email from the family who plan to adopt Puppy William tomorrow morning

About Puppy Wm:

We are all very excited about Saturday. Hunter [the young boy who put down the $5 deposit] is counting down the days until he gets to meet Puppy William.

Thank you

Sharon P.

FIVE P.M. UPDATE:

Adoption Day Saturday 11 a.m. till 3 p.m.

     Saturday's roster will include: Puppy William (who will be going on his home visit after we meet up with his potential new family at PetsMart), Macy, Little Boomer, Foxy Yatzee and Big Bear.

Starting Saturday night still frames from Pat Arnold's 1998 video will be shown every night from dusk till dawn via our webcam link (without the sound)

     Erin's husband, Dana, who's working on making DVDs of the Pat's tape, made two VHS copies, and our overnight man, Randy Hopkins, saw a copy lying on one of the tables in our hospital trailer, so he popped it into the VCR that is being used in conjunction with our webcams, and unbeknownst to us, it started playing on the Internet. We hadn't even thought of this possibility! Our system uploads a still frame every 10 seconds (rather than streaming video), but you get to see a different photo of Pat working with her dogs every time a new still is captured and uploaded, which, as I said above, is every 10 seconds. You see only stills without the sound, but every time the tape is replayed, you get a completely new set of captured still frames.

     I phoned my son, Joe, and he said, "Oh, yeah! I never thought of that possibility!" Joe is now working on getting the accompanying sound on an Internet radio station, which Straydog can acquire for about $15 per month. If we can get this hooked up, along with seeing the still frames, you'll be able to hear the streaming audio (Pat, wearing a radio microphone, narrating and talking with the all the dogs as she went through her entire daily routine back when she could do all the labor herself at Straydog).