TAS South dogs in review May 27

Scrappy's kind of a dumb name for a dog hoping to get adopted so I hope someone changes it because Scrappy isn't scrappy at all. This Cocker Spaniel is super friendly, at least with people, and didn't seem to have any problems with the couple of dogs we passed on our walk.

Scrappy - Cocker Spaniel

Six months old and all the way from Portugal, Poncha is an amiable Chow Chow who, I'm told, has a bit of a bark which is why her owner gave her up after moving into a condo.

Poncha - Chow Chow

Hugo will make an ideal family dog. I have no doubt he'll be quickly adopted if he isn't already.

Hugo - German Shepherd cross

For adoption information on these and other dogs (and cats and other animals), please visit Toronto Animal Services.

Toronto Animal Services Friday Review, Nov. 13

These three are some really nice dogs. They came in with the load from Montreal a few days ago and while some of their pals will be available at the Petsmart Adopt-a-thon this weekend, these guys, because they're not yet speutered will have to wait a bit.

They're all untrained, as the majority of abandoned dogs tend to be, but they're in good spirits and friendly and not too frenetic.

Whiskey

Yet unnamed Golden Retriever

Kodiak, Chow Chow X

For adoption information on these and other dogs (and cats and other animals), please visit Toronto Animal Services.

Spotted blue tongues

There's been a influx of dogs with spotted blue tongues this past week. I always thought that a whole or partial blue tongue meant a dog has some Chow Chow or Sharpei in it but apparently that's not always the case. Some breeds, including Labs, sometimes just show up with spotted blue tongues all on their own. Either that or they've been licking too many blue flavoured slushies (what flavour is that anyway?).

Retriever Danny has got abundant energy and will need lots of exercise as well as some training. He's a pretty attentive dog, though, so the training shouldn't be too difficult.



Hendrix, the Collie mix below, is one of those popular dogs whose photo I take and before it even gets put up on the site, he's already adopted.



Well, Red at least looks kind of like a Chow Chow. Some Chows can be indifferent to strangers but this one is quite friendly though not in any pushy sort of way. He waits politely for you to make the first move before he comes in for more attention.

Goodbye Phoenix and a prayer

From the Humane Society of Durham Region:

On October 2, 2009 Phoenix passed away peacefully, surrounded by the people who loved him most. In the two days prior he had stopped wanting to eat, spent most of his time sleeping and showed little interest in the things that had been giving him joy.

At his scheduled vet appointment on Friday it was decided that the time had come to put him down. His foster parents Tracy and Mike, Debby Houghton the investigator on his case and Ruby Richards, the shelter manager were all with him at the end giving him hugs and kisses.

Special thanks go to the clinic staff who spent so much time working with him and who were in tears at his passing. Thanks also go to the public for all of their support for him during the past few months.

Thanks also to all the media for their help in getting his story out to the public.

We are still looking for leads in his case. If anyone has anything that might be pertinent to this case please call Debby Houghton at 905-433-2022 ext. 2.


Phoenix deserves a thousand tears but do we have tears enough for the thousands of other dogs that have died and will die from the neglect and abuse of their owners, from the atrocious dog killing laws of this province, from puppy millers and mercenary backyard breeders, from hoarders and other well-intentioned psychotics, from medical experimentation in research facilities and veterinary schools, from gun shot wounds and stab wounds and gasoline burns and breaking of bones and dragging behind cars, from being thrown out of windows and hit with hammers and fed poison and scalded with boiling water, and perhaps worst of all, allowed to fade and then die alone in a cage?

There is a Pit Bull at animal services right now who has colon cancer and shits puddles of blood every day in his kennel. It is on pain killers. The owner doesn't care or doesn't know or maybe just doesn't have the resources or the wherewithal to take care of the dog properly. It doesn't matter. The dog is neglected. The dog is sick. The dog should be euthanized but the rules say no, not yet, there has to be a waiting period, a few more days.

The dog stares at me from behind its bars and I can barely look at it as I pass it by to take out the other dogs. This dog, looking out, hoping for a moment of attention of concern of respite of tenderness of companionship and at the same time there is mistrust in his eyes, a fierceness that might lash out. And who can blame it, given these conditions at the end of its life. This dog waits for salvation and the only thing that will save this dog is death. Will someone mourn the loss of it, it's last days of lonely suffering before a meaningless end?

There are thousands of unwanted dogs of all breeds and ages in this province who will die hard deaths and who cries for them?

When we lament the loss of Phoenix, let us also give a thought to the all the others who die unknown, unloved and in silence.

Phoenix finds a home

From Humane Society of Durham Region:

Phoenix is now stable enough to be placed into a foster home, we have chosen a really wonderful foster home for him and he will go home Wednesday, Sept 9, 3009!

The foster parents are prepared to care for him until the end at which point with consultations with the foster home and veterinarians who are treating him will make the decision when it is the right time.

There is nothing more noble than giving a terminally ill dog a home. The financial costs may be high but more significantly, giving one's heart over to a life so fleeting must surely be the essence of charity.

Thanks to all the people who have taken in these battered, sick or old dogs who otherwise would never have experienced being welcomed into the arms of a good family and who never would have known a day of kindness. There may be no such thing as a good death but at least through the grace of these good people, these dogs are given a few moments of a good life.

Sad news for Phoenix

A blog reader (thanks Biscuit) was in contact with the Humane Society of Durham Region about Phoenix and just got this e-mail reply back:

I just got back from Guelph. Things don't look good. The Oncologist saw him and he is still there for tests today but from what she has seen so far it looks like surgery is not an option and she feels he will not do well with other forms of treatment either. As he is still emaciated, radiation treatment is not an option because it burns the tongue and he would have to be sedated for 5 weeks of daily treatments with a feeding tube. At the end of this there is no guarantee it would work. She feels that he is terminal and as of right now he might have anywhere from a few weeks to a few months left. It was as we feared. If he was in better physical condition to start with he might have had a better prognosis but with him being already immune suppressed and emaciated things don't look good.

We are putting together a press release to let the public know. We are going to try and find someone who will foster him for whatever time he has left so that he can at least know love and comfort for the last of his life

We will continue to provide him with whatever he needs to make him comfortable until the end.

Anyone got a miracle they can spare?

Continued here.

Good news for Phoenix (new pics)

Phoenix's tongue cancer is apparently treatable as is his skin condition.

From The Star:

Medical tests conducted on Phoenix, a severely neglected male chow discovered last Sunday night in Courtice, show that the dog has treatable cancer.

... and ...

Phoenix's skin condition has since been diagnosed and doctors believe it should respond well to medical treatment.

Update pic Aug.26 from Humane Society of Durham Region. Lovely colouring:


Continued here.

Small update on Phoenix

Phoenix, the Chow found east of Oshawa last week, is only four years old. He's staying at a vet clinic and after several days of intensive care, his condition hasn't improved much. He can still only take a few steps before whatever pain he is experiencing grinds him to a halt. He's been bathed to hopefully help soothe his ravaged skin. He's being fed soft food to ease the difficulties of eating with a cancer diseased tongue. His nails are slowly being trimmed back so they no longer stab the pads of his feet. His matted coat, what remains of it, is being slowly cut back. And his nose - I can't even guess what happened to his nose. And that's of course, just what's on the surface. Tests should be coming back early next week which will tell us more about his chances for survival.

Phoenix is four years old and I'm guessing it's been four years of hell. A dog doesn't get into this condition overnight. What type of person would allow a dog to get to this point and not do anything about it other than dump it on the street? Can you imagine keeping an animal in this condition in your backyard or your home? The person would see it day after day, dirty, sick, possibly dying and do nothing. It's staring the person in the face with its sloughed off nose and its bloody, oozing skin and the person does nothing except maybe have another beer and turn on the TV. It can barely walk even a few steps because of how ingrown its nails have become and the person does nothing except think about where to dump the dog. Day after day, week after week, month after month, this dog lives in this horror, in this person's presence. Can you imagine the type of person who could do this?

The Humane Society of Durham Region, a small, wholly run by donations shelter, which late last year suffered a devastating fire, is doing everything they can for Phoenix. Let's hope their good intentions can undo the bad.

More here.

Phoenix video

Warning: graphic

From The Toronto Star:



I'm not religious but this makes me want to pray.

Phoenix is still currently under watch at the Humane Society of Durham Region.

(h/t Borderjack) Reward now at $3700 for information leading to the conviction of Phoenix's ex-owner.

Update: Reward now at $5050.

More here.

Chow neglect in Clarington

From The Toronto Star, Neglected dog "worst ever seen":

Animal cruelty investigators aren't sure if a shockingly neglected dog found in Clarington, east of Oshawa, will survive and are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of its owner.


Other considered titles for this post:

Why we are doomed

Someone needs their kumquats ripped off

I'll throw in another $100 for the tar and feathers

Lynch mob sign up here

Sometimes it's hard not to let the anger boil over, but really, what's important is saving the dog. Everything else is secondary.

Update: Looks like the reward's been upped to $1500.

"He's in horrific condition and in a lot of pain. It's pretty bad," animal cruelty investigator, Debby Houghton, said.

"We see a lot of terrible things ... I've been doing this a long time and this particular case is quite disturbing."

Update 2: (h/t Biscuit) Reward is now at $2500. Please note that there are some pretty graphic photos if you click on the link.

Update 3: Reward at $2600. Video and update here.

Still waiting for the strike to end

From caacQ:

Tazz. Australian Shepherd mix. Female weighs about 40 lbs, possibly in heat, injured back leg(walks with a bit of a limp) very frightened, terrified of going indoors, most likely was abused very very submissive. Maybe 1-2 years old.



Unnamed Chow Chow. 7 years old, surrendered male neutered. Very nice, obedient and house trained. He is a big suck, other dogs attack him and he says nothing.


These are just two of the dogs who could have been pulled from Montreal pounds/shelters and transferred to Toronto Animal Services for rescue by now if the city strike weren't still dragging on. Every day the two sides keep arguing brings these dogs a day closer to being euthanized.

Last week that's where I thought they were headed but with news that the strike might be over any day now, there's hope.

Still, I have to wonder, in the last 5 weeks, how many dogs could we have saved who are now gone?

Here are a couple of others.

Everest. Golden mix. Male, intact, very friendly, great with other dogs, listens very well, doesn't bark much, clean in cage. Bad ear infection possibly ear mites since the Surolan hasn't been working to treat it. Possibly 2-4 years old.



Tobby. Lab. Male, intact, surrendered, good with cats, dogs and small children. He is VERY obedient, house trained. He is a great dog and has been with us over a month now. He is about 5 years old ... was surrendered because he looses fur!



Update: Oops. Stop reading the news for a couple of hours and miss everything. Looks like a tentative deal has been made with both unions. Ratification vote on Wednesday. Back to work right after that hopefully. I don't see why there would need to be any ramp up time at TAS.

If all goes well, maybe we'll see a load of rescue dogs come in by the end of the weekend.

Toronto Animal Services Friday Review, May 22

Spencer

Mei Ling is quite small for a Chow Chow and she's also very people friendly and doesn't mind other dogs, which is atypical Chow behaviour. A real sweetheart, she'll find a home in no time.

Mei Ling

Lady and Jeb are both wonderful Labradors and I'd almost guess they were brother and sister but I think Jeb's much older. Another pair of dogs that will be gone as soon as they hit the adoption room.

Lady

Jeb

Jayden

Dalton

Chico's great with people but not so much with other dogs. Luckily, he's just a shrimp so handling and training him won't be such as big a deal.

Chico

Profile: Chance

Chance is dropped off at a pound in a puppy-sized cage. He's been kept in it for almost a year ever since he was only a few weeks old. As he grows, he's no longer able to stand up in the small confines of his cage. When Chance gets transfered to Toronto Animal Services and the vet techs examine him, they can see his leg bones deformed and his muscles atrophied. At first, he isn't able to stand but over the course of a few weeks rehabilitation, he regains the use of his legs albeit with a lingering, comical gait.

Chance is an exuberant young fellow. He is a little on the wild side and has no leash manners but he is good natured and quite friendly with people despite his early experiences. He'd be a quick match for someone except that along with his initial walking problems, he has demodectic mange, a skin disease caused by mites that usually strikes dogs up to a year old. Many pups carry the mites on their bodies and it's usually not a serious condition but poor health or stress can trigger an active infestation. Chance has mangy patches of raw, exposed skin mostly around his muzzle and front paws and these raggedly looks drive away most potential adopters.

Medication is ineffective and as his time at TAS goes on, his condition worsens to the point where he has to be quarantined. This curtails the possibility of any further public viewings. His spirit noticeably drops and the mange starts to get the better of him. When he starts developing secondary symptoms of multiple skin blisters and lesions due to a normally benign canine papiloma virus, it's obvious that his immune system is failing.

Two months into his stay, sick and getting sicker, with no good chance of recovery or adoption, Chance is euthanized.