May 9, 2016

BCSP Report – Week 14

Bollinger County Stray Project Report April 4 – 10

Last week I wrote about Yoda, a little Dachshund and Rat Terrier type mix who was run over. In the last week he has greatly improved in his ability to function.

He has been walking, exercising over 10 minutes at a time, and he is even marking territory when outside on his potty break.

He is having two to three feces a day because he is eating on his own and eating more, even hard food. It is difficult for him to have a movement, so we are giving him a small amount of mineral oil daily to keep his business soft and easier to release.

Yoda started to wag his tail. Just a few wags last Wednesday and more on Thursday after his Laser treatment which is given to control his pain and hopefully quicken his healing and recovery.

He still gets me up in the middle of the night two to three times. So I am extra tired and have fallen asleep at the computer a few recent evenings..

He has trained me to come when he barks. The bark means he wants out to potty. He especially barks for the big number. I REALY appreciate that!

This little dude acts so crippled and truly is, however when I left him in the songbird feeder pen so I could walk in the house and prepare his crate with clean bedding and pads he escaped! He crawled out of a hog panel fence! I nearly-had-a-heart attack when I found him all the way around the house looking at the front deck steps, waiting for me to get him back inside the house…

There were 14 other small to large dogs and youngsters who are very active loose with him. They could have severely harmed him by jumping on him, running into him, or by responding with a bite if he growled at them to keep their distance.

What a frightening lesson. I can’t take my eyes off of him!!!

Yoda is still not using his right leg to walk. He pulls that leg high and carries it. Only on a rare occasion does he put pressure on the leg. Pressure would give him pain in the area of the broken pelvic. We are hoping that is the only reason for the lack of use and pray he will use it in time when the main bones weld back together.

I called the original owner of this little dog about three times. She finally called me back. I would learn the little dog was not a stray, but her older son’s dog. He gave the dog to his mom. She had him a short time before he was run over TWICE by her neighbor. Other neighbors went to her home the next day to tell her how he was injured and who did it, they said “on purpose.”.

Originally the woman had told the vet the dog was a stray she had for only two weeks. Because she liked him so much she was trying to find someone to take him and care for his needs.

Folks, all I want is the truth. If she had told me he was her dog, I would have accepted him anyway. I had room to take care of a special needs small dog.

Last year I accepted a Boxer mix with a severely broken and infected leg. The caller said he was a “stray”. I would later learn they owned the dog. We would have helped the dog and I said that the first call from them, but they had to relinquish him to us to pay for his care. What they wanted was us to pay their vet bill when they could not afford even his basic care. .

We don’t pay owner’s vet bills. I am surprised how often we are asked to pay vet bills. As an owner it is your responsibility to afford their care or if you can’t keep up on the basics or a special need, give the adoptable pet up for someone who can afford it.

We help low income pet owners when we have donated funds from a grant for spay assistance, not general vetting.

When funds have been available we have taken money from our general account, the account that pays our monthly vet, medication, and general expense bills, to assist low income pet owners with spays or a rare neuter up to $35. We have helped in this way whenever possible since we were started 11 years ago..

Recently we were asked to take a litter of pups, told they were dumped at the callers yard. They knew the litter’s age, knew the breed, and pretty sure they knew the pups better than they said.

The pups were very thin and wormy. They looked like about 60-70% of the pups we accept from owners who did not want to have pups. Actually they looked better than about another 20-30% of intake pups.

Very few pups we take don’t have bones showing from a lack of nutrition or because they are loaded with worms. Often they have skin issues like ringworm or mange too.

Folks, don’t lie to me about how you got a single or litter of pups. We will help you by taking them. Either we will find them homes or can usually find other rescues to help. If they look awful it is a teaching moment for me, in a friendly way, to teach the caller how to better raise a litter. We have helped with spay costs and when money is available, even totally paid for the mother’s spay (when we take the mom’s litter).

Please don’t lie to me. Please don’t be afraid to ask us for help with your unwanted litter. Raising a healthy litter of fat puppies requires knowledge which most pet owners don’t have. Let us try to help you in whatever way we can.

Accepted strays and relinquished pets (Facebook FB)(2):

… Corgi mix looking male whose mom is a Heeler Beagle type mix. We think he is part Basset and Lab too. Owner relinquish, not having time for him. FB

… Yearling Beagle and Heeler mix female from Advance Auto Store parking lot. FB

Adoptions, return to owner or placed in other rescues (5):

… Holly Turner: former stray from near Woodland School, sibling was killed on the hwy. Good Samaritan caught and brought us little Holly October 20, 2015: adopted by a Jackson couple. Holly will be in the EPIC PALS Program.

… Darby: Cocker mix female pup, went to a St. Louis family, she works in management for a canola oil company.

… Merle Haggard: German Shepherd Border Collie type mix male puppy went to a Marion IL family. She is a therapist and plans to use this pup in her job.

… Thanks to Karen Sanders two more young dogs from another county went to an area shelter.

Cat calls:

… FREE, several cats: age over 1 year, all spayed or neutered house cats.

Dogs with Heartworm (HW), Ehrlichia, special needs, or that were euthanized:

… CONRAD CONWAY has Ehrlichia.

Calls requesting assistance for dogs we did not admit:

… Brindle female from Jackson area: firefighter who saved her from a burning house, owner did not want. Seeking help from another rescue or will take when room is available.

…LOST 4/9/16, Village of Glenn Allen: Long coat grey male adult cat, weight about 14 pounds, looks huge. Call Elizabeth at 314-698-1887, 10-yr old son’s kitty.

… Two Chihuahua adult dogs, age 2 female, age 7 male, need homes, Marble Hill area.

… Stray hound mix and her pup from Poplar Bluff: seeking a rescue to help take them for low income Good Samaritan.

… Seeking experienced rescue or home to take a deaf Pit mix dog from Poplar Bluff.

Miscellaneous and contact info:

We had 37 dogs and pups at our home 4/11/16.

Need help to find your pet? Do you have a stray camping out in the yard? Don’t wait, call us at 573-722-3035 or email photos at ace@clas. net.

Need help to find your pet? Do you have a stray camping out in the yard? Don’t wait, call us at 573-722-3035 or email photos at ace@clas. net.

We LOVE Buchheits! Donate a buck or more at the Jackson store for dog food and supplies when you shop. Also, Second Time Around in Marble Hill is taking donations for the Stray Project. Monetary donations are accepted at the Bollinger County Veterinary Service, Marble Hill Coop, Buchheits, and the MH Town and Country.

Stray Project monetary donations accepted at the Marble Hill Coop. We purchase de-wormer and other supplies at the Coop and donations are greatly appreciated.

Please be advised that the Bollinger County Stray Project is not the county or City of Marble Hill dog catcher. When you have a stray we try to help and can usually offer solutions. Patience is required of the caller towards our ability to find and implement a solution. I wish we had a magic wand but we don’t and can’t always help the callers in a manner they may demand of us. Remember, we are volunteers and help as time and space allows.

Offer a stray water on day one and food day two or three. Call if missing a dog or if you have a stray. We don’t always have room but we may have a solution to help you and the stray.

Dumping dogs is a form of abuse and against the law. Please report animal abuse or neglect.

Please do the following when your pets are expecting or caring for a litter: offer any pregnant dog small-breed-puppy-food the final 1-2 weeks before delivery and while the pups are nursing. Give those mothers all the food they want: bowls full all day and lots of fresh water available all day. Cats need kitten food. Free feed the higher calorie food during the nursing stage to help mom make milk and maintain her own body mass. Babies need to be de-wormed as young as 1-2 weeks, then every 7-10 days until age 10-weeks or older if in a confined environment with re-infestation concerns.

Thank you to the County Residents who have continued to support the Bollinger County Stray Project. 

Check out our available pets at Petfinder.  Call 573-722-3035 about our adoptable pets.

If you suspect an animal is being neglected or abused, call the Humane Society of Missouri Animal Cruelty Hotline, 314-647-4400 or 800-383-9835 or you can make a confidential report on line at Humane Society of Missouri.

To understand when an animal is being abused or neglected in the state of Missouri read the following link:http://asci.uvm.edu/equine/law/cruelty/mo_cruel.htm