Dog Rescue Committee Report

Many of us received the following email from Georgia about a Lab mix named Lucy, whose picture I have obtained from the link. As Georgia writes,

"I was wondering if anyone at the club is interested in adopting an adult dog. I recently heard about Lucy whose elderly owner went in for surgery several weeks ago and sadly will not be returning to her home. Her home health aide initially gave Lucy a home until they realized her daughter was allergic to the dog. Sadly Lucy, a very lovely sweet dog has ended up in a very volatile kill pound (Bridgeport Animal Shelter). She is healthy, house trained and spayed and has now been in the Bridgeport pound since May 12th. She is likely stressed from her experience there as that particular shelter is often filled with barking pitbull terriers. The officer there indicated that euthanasia for Lucy will depend on vacancy levels at the shelter. It is only 5 dollars to adopt Lucy. The link for her profile is attached. Please take a personal inventory to see if you have room in your heart and home for Lucy. I took on an abandoned adult dog headed to the pound a few years ago. She was very ill and likely would have been put down due to her medical expense. She is now my most priceless pal. Lucy could be the same for you and your family. I wish I could have Lucy too but my condo allows for only a single pet per unit."

Several people have since written in saying that they too have rescued dogs, and that they have never regretted it for a second. And let me say: a place like Bridgeport Animal Control copes with a great deal, including housing a lot of dogs that are disturbed. It's a terrible place for a dog that has been raised gently and has no skills to deal with aggression. Kind of like sending your sweet old granny to Alcatraz.

I took a look at Lucy and floated it by my partner, who gave me a look that I can only describe as equivalent to the "Excuse me, you are going to a regatta the weekend my family will be visiting?" look, since we already have a dog and haven't agreed to expansion. It also looks like being "only dog" could be an optimum situation for Lucy, although it isn't clear that she couldn't adapt to a generous canine friend as her impulses seem to be friendly. The cat thing I would take seriously, since dogs who chase cats just do and there is no stopping them. Here is Lucy's link, provided by Georgia.

Further investigative reporting has yielded the following information. According to Melissa Kuinan at Bridgeport Animal Control (the contact email for Melissa is on Lucy's adoption page, or you can get it from me), "She was recently at the vet because her paw was bitten by the dog next to her because she kept putting her paw in his cage. She is ok now. She will actually be moving with us to our new facility tomorrow. We will be closed June 6th - June 11th. If you are interested in meeting her, please come and visit her after June 11th at 236 Evergreen Street." Lucy is about 7 years old and spayed. Although the previous owner said that she is up-to-date with her shots, there is no paperwork to back that up, so budget a couple hundred dollars for that, realistically. Temperamentally and in all other ways (house training, good behavior, gentle) Lucy is "very adoptable but for some reason people just walk right by her cage. People that come here are always looking for puppies and most will not give an older dog a chance."

I have contacted Connecticut Lab Rescue on her behalf and offered to sponsor her if they can find a foster home, but a permanent home would be better. So spread the word, ok? And here's a word to the wise: develop some plan as to what would happen to your beloved pet if you could no longer care for it. The number of unwanted or abused animals in the world is a terrible thing, and if a little planning could ensure that your best friend doesn't get lost in the system in your absence, it's well worth it.