Comments by nan
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Posted on September 26 at 2:15 p.m.
Again, thank you for your support and kind comments. Just so you'll know, earlier this week we took into our care another little dog in just about the same condition. This dog had been locked in an enclosed area with no food and water for several days. A person who is a reader for a utility company notified us about the animal, and it too was taken into "custody". At the time we brought this animal in it weighed five pounds, that is less than one half of its normal body weight. Believe it or not, it was not in quite as bad condition because it had rained and the dog had some access to water. It has now been in our custody since tuesday and has gained two pounds-go figure. As to the puppy that was found in the dumpster, my guess is that he was put there the night before because when he was found his body temperature was way below normal. They took him to Dr. Savant's and put him on a heating pad. They tried to put in an i.v. for fluids, but because he was so dehydrated his veins were to flat to get a needle in. (Is this more than you want to know?). Also, his gums were almost white, which means very little circulation. Anyway, they gave subcutaneous fluids..sorry about the spelling. That is where you inject fluid under his skin and let his body absorb it. This lets the body rehydrate as it absorbs the fluid. After several hours, he had warmed up and become "perkier" and drank a little and ate a little. Because he had become more hydrated they were able to put in i.v. fluids and has he has rehydrated he has eaten more. He is only allowed to eat small amounts every hour or so. Anyway, this morning his eyes were shiny (not dried out anymore) and his stomach looked fuller. There is more to this though than putting his weight back on. He is a baby, only five or six months old. When you starve the body of food and water for a continued time you take a huge risk in causing permanent damage to the heart, lungs and kidneys because you have put such a strain on such young and underdeveloped organs. Do I think he is better, yes, but I am still concerned about his long term health. The same is true about the other dog we picked up this week. They are both young, and now well cared for. But they have a long way to go to recover. Nan
Posted on September 26 at 11:17 a.m.
Whenever we have an animal story in the Democrat, I always make sure and read the comments that you leave, because it makes me know that we need to keep doing what we do. This is the second small dog this week that we have taken into our care as a result of cruelty and starvation. There may be some circumstance which explains why this happened, but I can think of none. I feel that we have somehow failed in getting out to the public that if you have an animal that you cannot feed, or do not want, please please do not drop the animal off somewhere to fend for itself, do not allow it to slowly die from starvation, do not attempt to shoot it. Bring the animal to the Natchez Adams County Humane Society. We always have three, sometimes four, drop off pens (not bins) located in front of the shelter. They have food, water and shelter left in them every night just for this situation. I know that I am "singing to the choir" about this, because none of you would ever allow your pet to get to this extreme condition before seeking help. I just do not understand why someone would treat an animal like this when there is such a simple solution, and not only easy to do but no doubt the more humane thing to do. We appreciate your concern and caring. It helps make our job so much easier. Nan
Posted on November 27 at 9:22 a.m.
Good Morning. I have just been reading over some of your comments, and as usual, am genuinely moved by the support of our community. We would love to have the "pet of the week" photos back in the Democrat (hope they are reading this!) In answer to some of your other questions, it costs $45 to adopt a dog or puppy from the Humane Society, and $35 to adopt a cat or kitten. Of this fee, all but $5 goes to the veterinarian for spaying or neutering your animal. If you adopt an older pet, we always take the animal to the veterinarian to spay or neuter, and the new owner picks up from the vet. The problem of not spaying or neutering comes into play when you adopt a very young puppy or kitten, one that is too young to have the surgery. While it is true that they are spaying and neutering animals at a younger age than they used to, most veterinarians would prefer for the animal to be a little older. The possibility of complications is a bit higher on a younger animal than an older animal.
Posted on November 8 at 7:07 p.m.
Sorry to take so long to get back to you all on this but I just got a little busy today and did not have time to keep an eye on your comments. YES we do have several animal cruelty laws. Some deal with livestock, some deal with domestic animals, and some deal with wild animals. While they are not specifically titled "animal cruelty" laws, they are about treating animals cruelly and or depriving them of necessary sustenance (food, water, shelter and medical care if needed). It is true that most of the statutes are misdemeanor criminal statutes, but they can be very serious and expensive. In the current case, when we were made aware of the condition of these animals I chose to use the statute which is the fastest, and only, way to get immediate custody by emergency order. This is a civil (ie not criminal) statute which involves civil penalties, like the loss of certain liberties...like losing your animals and having to pay their bills. I too believe that the owners of these animals should be responsible for the cost of their boarding and medical care, however, my PRIMARY objective is to remove the animals from harm...immediately. In regard to the owners paying these expenses...we have to accept that this is not very realistic. We will certainly be granted a judgment against these people for our expenses, that is not the problem. The problem is in ever collecting it. I cannot collect a judgment from someone when I do not know where they are, or if they have the money to pay it.
When we went to court the first time the owners were present and I introduced into evidence a stack of photographic exhibits showing the condition of the horses. I tried to send them certified letters, which came back. I tried to have them served by a deputy and he was told by a neighbor that they had moved out of town, and finally I published a notice in the Democrat. The second time we went to court the owners did not show up, and I was not the least bit surprised. While this is totally speculation on my part, the odds were pretty high that if they had shown up they very well may have been arrested on criminal charges for violation of several of the animal cruelty statutes I referred to above.
While this is infuriating to some of you, it is something that happens quite often to us at the Humane Society. We have to remember that our main goal is to protect the animal, above all else. We have a had a dozen injured pit bulls brought or left at our shelter....we have never known who any of the owners were. If you think about it, the person who refuses to take the responsibility of taking care of his animals is certainly not going to hang around and take responsibility for their debts.
Posted on November 7 at 12:52 p.m.
First of all, on behalf of the Natchez Adams County Humane Society, let me thank all of you for your support and concern about these animals. They have been breaking our hearts for months. We do not understand how people can treat animals in this matter, even though it is something that we deal with on a regular basis. We are extremely blessed that there are so many people like you in this area who are cut out of the other side of the mold, without you we could not make it.
When we talked to the Democrat the other day we told them the whole story about these animals, and they simply did not have room to print it all. We received temporary emergency custody of these horses on June 1 of this year. We took into custody four horses (one stallion, three mares) and four pygmy goats. We have followed the laws and procedures necessary to gain custody and we have one step left. In regard to a previous comment by someone, please let me assure you that none of these animals has been placed with anyone on a permanent basis. We do not own these animals. We have four goats and two of the mares at a "society friendly" farm, the stallion (Pedro) is under our daily care at another "society friendly" farm, and Hope is still at Miss Lou vet, where she will remain for several weeks. Last week the Judge, pursuant to the law, gave us a lien against the animals for our debts and ordered us to sell the animals at public sale. This means that we will advertise them for sale in the newspaper and we will hold a sale. This type of sale is somewhat like a foreclosure where the bank buys the house it is foreclosing on. I feel pretty sure that no one is going to bid over $12,000 for these animals. If we buy them at the sale, and get people to help us get the bill paid, then we can place them in good homes for life. This way they can be adopted and not have a big debt associated with them.
As to contacting the Humane Society, our employees are actually there in the morning but they are cleaning and feeding and do not normally answer the phone until the afternoon. If you would like to make a donation for Hope, Pedro and the others, or if you would like to talk to someone at the Natchez Adams County Humane Society about these horses and goats, please feel free to call me at 601-442-2156 (home); 601-445-5698 (office) or Pat Cox at 601-442-7890.
Finally, if there is a question that you have that I have failed to answer, please write back and I will see if I can help you. Nan
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Posted on September 30 at 9:39 a.m.
Just in case you want to know, the little puppy (a boy) is doing much better. He just looks so much healthier and his attitude has improved greatly. The first couple of days when he was so dehydrated and starved he was a little "testy". Now, thanks to the tender love and care at Robbie Savant's, he is much happier and better looking. No, he has not been adopted, nor will he be available for adoption for several weeks. He has lost a lot of muscle tone, and is a little wobbly and weak. But he will get there. When he was first brought in he was so critical that we did not want to move him. So, we waited until the next morning to weigh him, and he weighed about 4.5 pounds. This remember is after 24 hours of i.v. drip and food. I would guess that he has gained about a pound since then, if not more. His ribs do not show anymore, but his hips, shoulders and legs still look like a skeleton. Thanks for your continued concern. Nan
On Dog found in Dumpster