Bill Arnold's Daily Straydog Log
TUESDAY August 16 2005
5:00 P.M. UPDATE
Erin reports ...
Skynard
is doing okay after his neuter operation. And we are happy to
report that he doesn't have mange,
hookworms, or heartworms! Skynard had some loss of hair but that
was probably caused by the scratching from all the fleas he had.
The clinic gave him a bath before his operation to kill the fleas
and to help his poor itchy skin.
Dr. Morton wanted to see Patch today so he'll be going this afternoon.
Juana will also be taking Colby in because it's time for his stitches to be removed.
At post time Juana was still at the clinic.
Subject: Skynard
Date: Tue, 16 Aug 2005 12:27:05 -0500
From: Chuck Fleischer
To: straydog147@yahoo.com
Bill,
I agree its terrible to just "dump" your dog, or any companion animal for that matter as was done with Skynard. But think how lucky Skynard is. He was dropped at your door. Obviously the dumper knew of your good work. He (or she) could just as easily have tossed the dog from a moving car, taken him out in a field and shot him, or just moved away and left him without food and water. At least Skynard was lucky enough to find a seat in your lifeboat.
My wife and I dropped off a large crate and a small check at PetsMart on Saturday. Hopefully both will help as you make room for yet one more abandoned dog.
Stay well.
Thanks for the email, Chuck, and thanks for the donations to Straydog
Every time someone dumps a dog on our property or near us, I have the same thoughts Chuck expresses in his email. I always think of Mother Teresa's supplication to women who are contemplating aborting their pregnancies: "Bring me your babies!"
I've often thought the same kind of thing: "Bring me your unwanted dogs! Don't dump them in the wilderness!" But then what? How long would we be able to survive with a very rapidly growing population at Straydog? It's a constant and never ending struggle to raise enough money to take care of the 90+ dogs we have here now.
Someone called us once years ago and said, "There is no such thing as a no-kill shelter. You so-called no-kill shelters say no when you're full forcing someone else to do the killing." I was speechless and the person hung up.
I am still perplexed by this question.
I wrote the following in Sunday's update while I was thinking of exactly what Chuck said in his email:
"We will take this beautiful abandoned dog, rehabilitate him and try to find him a forever home as with any rescue, but we will also pursue the dumper and try to find him or her a forever home behind bars!"
I guess I'm saying that the dumper is responsible and must be made to take care of his own dog until he himself can find it a home.
We welcome anyone's thoughts on this question.
Our father fell a short while ago today, and they're at the hospital now. My brother said that they are concerned because Dad's having trouble articulating, and he's very frustrated that he can't explain what happened to him. Pete (my brother) said that Dad had called him and simply said, "I need help." Pete rushed over to Dad's house and Dad was sitting in a chair with a bump on his forehead. Pete called 911, and he and Dad are at the hospital now where they are still running tests. Pete will call me again when he knows something more. I may be leaving for Dallas at any moment.