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Abandoned dogs find safety and whole lot more in rescue
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By LINDA M. LINONIS
Video
Dumped and left to die: It’s a cruel reality for many unwanted dogs.
It happened last week to some and is happening today to others. It’s a doggone shame.
In two cases of abandonment, caring people came to the rescue. The unlucky ones die on the streets of slow starvation, attacks by other dogs or wild animals, disease or being hit by cars.
Max, an American bulldog, was found on the roadside of Warren Avenue in a nonresidential area. Nick Gwaltney of Warren Township was on his way to work Sept. 8, a 90-degree day. “I saw a white Impala stop and leave a laundry basket behind,” he said. “Something wasn’t right. I didn’t know what I’d find in the basket, but I had to stop.”
Gwaltney found an underweight puppy, about 4 months old, tightly wrapped in a blanket. “If I hadn’t found him, he probably would have died in the heat,” he said. He talked to his manager at work about his discovery, then took the pup home, where he gave it a bath.
An experienced dog owner, Gwaltney knew something was wrong with the listless puppy, who didn’t want to play or eat. He took the pup to Dr. Snigdha Singh, a veterinarian in Niles. Max, as the pup was now called, was diagnosed with parvovirus, which compromises the intestines. Max had a 50/50 chance of survival.
Gwaltney credited Greg Miller, a volunteer at the Trumbull County Dog Pound, with assisting in Max’s specialized care.
Gwaltney and his girlfriend, Julia Murphy, kept Max separate from their other dogs because parvovirus is contagious. Their family includes Murphy’s daughter, Isabella, 8, and rescue dogs, Rocko, a 13-year-old shepherd mix; Zeus, a 3-year Cane Corso; and Faith, a 6-year-old boxer mix.
Gwaltney and Murphy said they set up a Facebook page on Max with the slogan, “Love is a four-letter word.” It has chronicled Max’s needs, which the dog lovers’ community responded to, and his recovery.
Murphy said Max was abandoned once and they weren’t going to let that happen again: They’re keeping him.
The couple also has another Facebook page, Stop Trumbull County Animal Abuse, Neglect and Inhumane Treatment. Gwaltney said he has rescued about 45 dogs and will continue though he’s at the limit with the four he has.
Meanwhile, the “Nature’s Six” puppies, abandoned in two boxes at Mill Creek MetroPark where they were found Sept. 21 by park police, are learning how to be part of families before being available for adoption. Dianne Fry, Mahoning County dog warden, said the six were brought to the pound, which moves puppies into a rescue right away. Trish Collins of Friends of Fido, a volunteer group, was able to transfer the underweight and sickly pups to a rescue, All Paws are Precious.
APAP co-founders Justine Huckle of Leetonia and Stacey Lindsay of Columbiana said the puppies had worms, were dehydrated and malnourished, weighing only 2 to 3 pounds.
They’ve since put on weight, gained strength and are getting healthy. The puppies will be available for adoption Nov. 1 on Pet Finder, and interested people may fill out applications. The pups will be examined, spayed or neutered and microchipped.
Lindsay said the males are Lark, who is adventurous, and Reed, cautious; and the females are Opal, brave; Ginger, shy; Pumpkin, curious; and Tulip, bossy. As to the breed, Lindsay said it is “hard to tell” but they will be on the small side, probably no more than 20 to 25 pounds. Lindsay is fostering three pups and foster mom, Wanda Sabol of Lake Milton, has three.
APAP co-founders said they formed the rescue in 2013, which has 15 dogs in its care. “The pounds are usually full,” Huckle said. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit, all-volunteer, foster-based organization serving Columbiana and Mahoning counties screens applicants to find the homes to meet the dogs’ needs. The rescue requires inside homes, “not a life outside on a chain,” Huckle said, adding the rescue also does veterinarian and home checks. “We prefer a fenced yard,” Lindsay said.
APAP has placed 60 dogs in forever homes. Until they are adopted, seven foster families, including the founders, care for dogs. The rescue is supported through fundraising and adoption fees. “We get funds out of our own pockets,” Lindsay said.
Wanda Sabol of Lake is fostering Pumpkin, Reed and Tulip. Her dogs are Grizzly, a shepherd mix, and Ivy, a pit bull mix. “I started fostering because I know I can’t adopt them all,” Sabol said. “There’s a sense of accomplishment when you help in a small way.”