Steven Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Oodles of Poodles Get a Second Chance Posted by: Julie Wolfe, Reporter Created: 7/18/2005 5:39:48 PM Updated: 7/19/2005 4:49:18 PM The Chautauqua County SPCA is looking for your help as they care for 117 miniature and toy poodles that were taken from a home in the town of Mina Friday. The SPCA needs blankets, old towels, and maybe foster homes. If you would like to donate, but can't get to Jamestown, 2 On Your Side has a collection table set up in our lobby, at 259 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo. Drop off your items between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm. Julie Wolfe's Story Andre barks from the back corner; his blonde hair is shaggy and matted with dirt. Jack cowers in the corner of his cage; he has an ear infection. There's another dark poodle with one milky white eye. He shivers and cowers when we walk by, but he can't see us. He's blind. These are stories of second chances. "It's their second chance to have a normal life, or at least as normal a life as possible," Jeff Lubi with the Chautauqua County SPCA says. One-hundred and seventeen miniature and toy poodles were taken from a Mina home on Friday. Their cages were stacked on top of one another. They were sitting in their own feces; the smell still clings to their tangled hair. The New York State Police and the Humane Society investigated a complaint last week. They found the dogs in deplorable conditions when they investigated. "A male and female were arrested for having 117 dogs in unlivable conditions," Trooper Eric Hagland said. It's a charge of animal cruelty in such large numbers; the Chautauqua County SPCA is almost overwhelmed. "We have a lot of work left to do. A lot," Lubi said. Almost around the clock since Friday, shelter workers and volunteer groomers have been shaving the poodles. On some, their hair was so matted and tangled over the eyes, they couldn't see. For their own survival, the cowering dogs shed their fur along with a past no one knows too much about. "That's in the past," Susanne Bloom, the shelter supervisor said. "We try to do what we can now, get them in a better condition, and hope they have a brighter future." Because the investigation is pending, SPCA workers did not want to describe the scene in too much detail. They did say that the dogs' lives may have included never leaving their cages and never going outside. Because of that, a Chautauqua couple faces animal cruelty charges. Despite that, and even as they shiver in fear, these dogs have a sense of dignity. A resilience that has given Chautauqua County hope. Hope that Western New York will answer the call for help. "We need blankets, old towels, and maybe foster homes," the SPCA Director said. It's also a hope that every one of those 117 dogs gets a second chance... at just being a dog. http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=30029 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le_gin Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 I'd love to adopt at least one of these dogs, it's to bad i don't live close enough, or even close at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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