NO JUSTICE FOR ‘GOOD GIRL
By Brenda Vanderver (PCPP Founder/President)
Sometime during the early morning hours of December 30, 2010, a gentle, loving Golden Retriever mix female had the extremely bad luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time in the city of Mt. Vernon and someone took it upon themselves to take a shot at her. We don’t know if they were actually aiming for her or just attempting to scare her off, but the gunshot hit her. It was a direct hit in her left eye, exploding the eye and continuing through her jaw and lodging in her neck. She was found early the next morning sitting in front of someone’s home, bleeding from the face and confused and disoriented. The lady who found her thought she had been hit by a car, and put her in her garage and called animal control. She was picked up and taken to Dr. Zieren’s office where it quickly determined she had been shot. She was still lucid at this point and care was started to try to save her life. It seemed for a time that she was going to be alright, other than losing her left eye. She was eating well, loving all the attention she was getting from the girls at the vet clinic, and taking her injuries and severe pain in stride. Vet personnel named her ‘Good Girl’ because she never complained, no matter what they had to do to her. However, the bullet was still lodged in her body and the vet was unsure whether or not it was safe to remove it.
A plea was put out to the community for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for this heinous act, and a $2000 reward, pledged by animal lovers, was offered through PC Pound Puppies. Only one response was received, shortly after the incident, and this person seemed to have a lot of the facts. However, she refused to identify herself for fear of retribution. She called twice and then we never heard from her again. Without a signed statement nothing can be done, even though we were given the name of the alleged culprit. Without that precious signed statement, the perpetrator cannot even be questioned.
Good Girl collapsed on day 5 and bled out, ending her life. Now it seems there will be no justice for this senseless killing, and the person who did this awful deed will get away scot free. The bullet was removed post-mortem and is being held in evidence.
IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION, IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO COME FORWARD. If no more leads are received, on September 1st the cash collected for her reward will be transferred to the PC Pound Puppies general fund to be used for care of the dogs at the Animal Control Shelter. Thank you to all those who pledged money to be given in the event a reward could be paid out.
We let this girl down, she fought so hard to live . . . the perpetrator needs to be punished. If you have ANY information that could be helpful, please contact Terry Penn, Animal Control Officer, at 838-8362.
Collier’s Story
By Suze Wright – Foster Mom
There's every reason to look twice at rescuing a
shelter dog:
I'd taken in so many dogs over the years - but this one was special. Collier
arrived severely abused in his past and without a clue how to play, have fun,
or that hands weren't for hurting. He hugged the doors, the walls, the
furniture - crawling when I came near like a soldier in basic training. He had
no idea leashes and cars led to wonderful experiences. So for 3 1/2 months, my
job was to help him understand he could trust.
Today, Collier's new name is Gabriel - to announce his new life with trumpet
flair. My training wasn't enough - but with gentleness and love from his new
mom, Gabriel blossomed to become a therapy dog - helping children who shared
his past....
Claire's Story
By Brenda Vanderver (PCPP Founder/President)
Claire weighed only 32 pounds the day she was found; she should weigh about 50 lbs. according to the vet. She was recently found wandering at Hovey Lake. She probably had been dumped there by someone who may have thought some nice family would take pity on her and take her in and she would have an idyllic life. How wrong they were! Claire probably spent the last several weeks scared out of her wits, not knowing where she was, confused because everything she had come to know was gone, and she had no idea how to find anything to eat. The pads of her feet became severely burned from walking on hot pavement, so every step was very painful to her. She was lucky in the fact that someone was kind enough to pick her up and bring her to where she could get some help. She could just as easily have been killed by coyotes or hit by a car.
When she first started getting food again, because it had been so long since she had had a meal, she was unable to keep anything down and she developed severe diarrhea. She had to stay at the vet’s for a week so he could monitor her medication. She is now on the road to recovery and getting better every day.
Times are tough for a lot of people nowadays, but there are alternatives to turning your pet loose for someone else to deal with. I’m sure there are many, many more ‘Claires’ out there that are never found. Please be a responsible pet owner - get your pet vaccinated (an annual rabies shot is required by law), and get them spayed or neutered so the unwanted pet population can be reduced by a means other than euthanizing adult dogs and cats after they are no longer wanted or cared for.