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By Nature Pet Foods of Londonderry, NH was on a mission to find the
perfect spokes person. “We were looking for someone who is
intelligent, attractive, and absolutely charming,” said Gloria von
Zech, Consumer Liaison for By Nature. “We wanted to give an
unknown a chance - someone who maybe didn’t have it as easy as
others. Of course, big brown eyes and quick kisses were also a must!”
So, after scouring Petfinder.com for months, von Zech found Bonnie,
a two year old Airedale/Great Pyrenees mix at the Oklahoma Animal
Welfare Association. “She was everything I was looking for!”
Bonnie definitely is not of the
privileged class of dog seen at Westminster Kennel Club yet her
story is familiar to anyone who works at a Shelter or volunteers as
part of a rescue group. Taken from her former owners as part of a
neglect case, she weighed in at a mere 37 pounds and was covered in
feces and mud. She had lost her front teeth from gnawing on the wire
of the small pen which she shared with several other large dogs
including St. Bernards and other Pyrenees mixes. In only one week at
the OAWA, she gained ten pounds. Her ideal weight is somewhere
around 70.
“There was a lot of logistics involved
in getting Bonnie from Oklahoma to New Jersey. First she had to be
spayed and completely vetted. That was done by Dr. Melinda Luper of
Animal Medical and Surgical Hospital of Tulsa. And she had never
been crated - heck! She had never even been indoors! Angie Meadows,
the Director of the OAWA, took Bonnie under her wing and conditioned
her to the crate. “She loves her “house” now!” von Zech
said, smiling.
Bonnie will be in training for the next
three months learning all the things a good spokesperson should know
- how to walk the red carpet, how to wow a crowd, how to handle the
press while always being a lady, and how to graciously accept
admiration. “I’ll also be teaching Bonnie to pull a cart.
Airedales and Pyrs and both great working breeds. Just because she
is a Star doesn’t mean she can’t do a little work now and again!”
von Zech said.
By Nature Pet Foods, in addition to
paying for Bonnie’s veterinary care, has donated 40,000 pounds of
food to the Oklahoma Animal Welfare Association. “That is for all
the Stars we had to leave behind.”
The Oklahoma Animal Welfare Association
is staffed totally by volunteers and funded by donations. By Nature
Pet Foods asks that you send your donation to OAWA at 15825 West
Golden Road, Sand Springs, OK 74063.
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In early January, 2007, Angie Meadows, Director
of the Oklahoma Animal Welfare Association and Chief Cruelty
Investigator received a complaint about numerous neglected
animals on a property in Sand Springs, OK.
To her horror, the complaint proved to be valid. |
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Many of the dogs were
without adequate shelter and were either chained or caged.
There was no clean water. Many had suffered from untreated
injuries. They were living in months worth of feces. Many were
starving. For some, it was just too late. |
Perhaps most illustrative of the torture these animals endured
are the stories of the Boarder Collie found on the property
and "Angel" - a Great Pyrenees.
For the Border Collie, rescue did not
come soon enough. Found roaming the property on January 4,
2007, he was emaciated and suffering from an unknown skin
condition. He was to be taken the following day. Sadly, he did
not make it though the night and rescue workers found him dead
the next day.
"Angel's" story has a
better ending although she is still suffering the challenges
of her former life. Emaciated, heartworm positive and
suffering from demodectic mange, she is undergoing treatment
at the OAWA and is doing well. Perhaps the most amazing thing
about "Angel" is that her spirit never suffered and,
while she she is a bit shy around strangers at first, she
loves attention and is very loving. |
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The OAWA team discovered this Border Collie on Thursday.
He was emaciated and suffering from an unknown skin
condition. He was to be taken to their facility the next
day. Sadly, he died during the night never having known
what it was like to be treated with love and kindness. |
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Also
taken from the property were Cookie, an 18 month old Great Pyrenees
(Her whole life consisted of a small dog house, a chain and
dirty water), Lily, another Pyr (She was penned with two other
large dogs and only a piece of sewer piping and one dog house
for shelter), Ivory (a Siberian Husky, heartworm positive),
Daisy (another Sibe), Dutchess (still another Sibe. She was
chained - with her food and water bowl out of reach!), Goliath
(a St.Bernard mix. He lived with Lily), Sam (an Anatolian/Pyr
Mix), Spot (a red Heeler) and, of course, Bonnie.
Bonnie was actually luckier than most
taken from the Silver Springs property. Weighing in at a mere
37 pounds when rescued, she had numerous broken and missing
teeth from chewing on the wire of the pen which she shared
with several other large dogs. She also |
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This is Angel. She is heartworm positive and suffering
from demodectic mange. This photo was taken the day she
was rescued from the Sand Springs property. |
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had chewed her leg creating a hot spot that is still
in the process of healing, tested positive for ehrlichia (a
tick borne disease), and had a massive ear infection.
Under the care of the OAWA, Bonnie
gained 20 pounds in little more than 6 weeks. The Animal
Medical and Surgical Center of Tulsa preformed her spay and
did the extensive dental work necessary to correct years of
breakage and abscess. (Bonnie no longer has any incisors or
bottom canines - between breakage and infection,
they could not be saved.) She is on Doxycycline for her
Ehrlichia exposure.
Because ear infections and hot spots
are secondary to poor nutrition and allergy, making the switch
from the poor quality, corn based food she had been receiving
(when she was getting it!) to the By Nature Organics
will clear up these lingering conditions. |
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Bonnie when she was
discovered at the
Sand Springs property. |
Bonnie's teeth prior to
surgery. |
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In
a turn of events that can only be deemed as "stunning,"
Creek County Sheriff's Department has decided not to press charges
against the owners of the animals found at the property in Sand Spring. This decision was made despite visiting the location
with Animal Cruelty Investigator, Angie Meadows, and volunteers from
the Oklahoma Animal Welfare Association. "Not only did they not
bring charges against these people," Meadows said with
frustration in her voice, "They actually allowed them to keep 6
of the 16 dogs that were housed on the property."
When Meadows and her team visited the
Silver Spring, OK property, they found 16 dogs without adequate
shelter, food, or clean water. In addition, when they inquired if
there were any animals in the residence, they were told no
- as a cat sat in the window looking out at them. There were
also numerous goats and sheep.
Oklahoma Animal Cruelty Officers have no
policing powers as do the officers in New York that are portrayed on
Animal Planet's "Animal Cops." Here, Cruelty Officers can
not seize animals without the participation of the County Sheriff's
Office and written authorization from a Judge.
Perhaps it was because they didn't want to
be bothered. Perhaps they were as ignorant about animal care as the
owners of these poor unfortunates. The reason remains known only to
the Sheriff's Officers themselves. No matter what the cause, justice
was not served and animals are still living in tenuous conditions.
Sadly, it is only they that will suffer. |
