February 6, 2008Other people's poochesTwo items caught my attention while Web surfing last night. Grace Saenz-Lopez, now the former mayor of Alice, Texas, offered to keep her neighbors’ Shih Tzu, Puddles, while the family was out of town, and then allegedly told the family the dog died while in her care. 
According to police reports, Puddles was actually alive and well. Saenz-Lopez reportedly renamed the pooch Panchito and kept him for herself. The ruse was discovered when someone spotted the purloined pup at a local dog groomer. Just to make the story more complicated, not to mention bizarre, Saenz-Lopez tried to stash the dog at the home of her identical twin sister to avoid returning him. In her resignation letter, the former mayor indicated she was acting in the best interests of Puddles/Panchito. 
The other Internet tidbit was a blog entry on The BarK magazine’s Web site. The blogger wrote about a Catahoula puppy that was found in Texas. A Catahoula Leopard Dog is a rare breed and this pup was in good shape, so clearly the pooch was lost. Apparently the finder took the dog to a vet, said she was keeping the pricey purebred, and indicated she did not intend to try to find the pup’s original home. The vet contacted a Catahoula rescue group to see if anyone was looking for a lost dog. Okay, besides wondering if something is compelling the people of the Lone Star state to act erratically, I started thinking about the ethical treatment of other people’s dogs. Like the BarK blogger, I would think most people would at least attempt to find the dog’s family, especially when it is clear the pooch is not a stray. That’s certainly what my family was praying for when we had a missing cat. Isn’t this a golden rule for pet lovers? Now, purely playing devil’s advocate, if the former mayor of that Texas town really felt that poor Puddles was suffering from anything more severe than a less-than-dignified name, wasn’t it her duty to alert the police or animal control? How could she think that concealing the dog was the right move? Have you ever found a dog? What did you do? And if you thought a neighborhood dog was not being cared for properly, would you call someone or take the law into your own hands? |
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Comments
[February 6, 2008 12:24 PM]
helpingpetsThis is a great information piece. I hope that everyone sees the value in protecting their pets. When a pet goes missing or even lost it is so important that we proactively react to the situation. Taking steps to protect your pet prior to having this scary and overwhelming incident happen. These steps include always keeping a collar on your pet with I.D Tags. Having your pet micro-chipped and registering them properly. Never leaving them outside unattended, this could lead to their escape as well as giving the opportunity for someone to steal your pet.
Making sure that you’re pet (s) are registered properly is vital to helping them return home. There are many companies that you can register your pet with. One of these companies is called www.helpmefindmypet.com they provide not only a registry but they also have created a proactive lost pet alert that is sent out in up to a fifty mile radius to all Shelters, Rescues, Veterinarians, Municipalities, Groomers, Kennels, Pet Industry, and Members. People find lost pets; if your community is aware that you’re pet is missing this will create a local involvement resulting in more pets being reunited with their families. Prevention and preparation is essential to keeping your family together.
[February 6, 2008 12:57 PM]
KimMy family found a dog one time when I was younger and thankfully it had an ID tag on its collar. We were able to contact the owner who lived several counties away and he was very happy to get his dog back!
As for turning in a person for neglecting their dog - absolutely! I have never done it but I would if I knew the pet was being abused and/or neglected. Someone needs to speak up for them because they can't do it themselves!
[February 6, 2008 4:18 PM]
Nona : →http://blogs.roanoke.com/thehappywag/You are right, of course, Kim. If you see someone abusing a dog, you have to call the authorities. What I thought was really weird in this case is that the dog-napper was the mayor. Don't the authorities, you know, work for her? What was she thinking?
I wonder if it was a case of the neighbors weren't really abusive, per se, but just didn't love and care for the dog the way the mayor thought they should. Maybe nothing they did rose to the level of legal intervention, but she just felt the pup was being neglected.
Still, you just don't confiscate someone's dog and tell them the pooch perished. Wouldn't you just talk to the pet parents and keep an eye on the dog? Weird news story.
[February 8, 2008 12:35 PM]
SusanWe live in rural Roanoke County and are disgusted by the number or people who "own" dogs and keep them in pens or chained for 23 hours or more a day. Dogs - like humans - are social creatures and need interaction with other dogs and humans to be healthy and happy. I don't know the details of the mayor's story, but it has crossed my mind in the past to release these dogs from their bonds. When you call Animal Control, there's usually no response unless the dog is homeless. If it's penned or chained, they claim no reason to respond to the call. We need to take into account not only "lost" dogs, but those who are restrained beyond reason.