Thursday, January 21, 2016
Staff report
YOUNGSTOWN
Performing a good deed to help two dogs turned into a lot more than animal advocate Jason Cooke expected.
On Tuesday, Cooke transported Daz, a pit-bull terrier, and Bruno, a golden retriever, from a Youngstown residence to Angels for Animals in Canfield to be neutered and receive appropriate shots.
When he tried to return Daz, there was no response at the residence.
Cooke contacted the owner, who had a relative come to the house in the 500 block of East Lucius Avenue. Unfortunately, when the relative gained entry, he came back out of the house distraught. Cooke said he entered the house and saw that the resident was dead of an apparent heroin overdose.
The police were called and questioned Cooke and the relative. Cooke said he explained his reason for being at the residence. “I was just trying to help the family with their dogs,” Cooke said. “The police were very nice when I explained why I was there.”
Cooke said the experience was unsettling. “You read about this in the newspaper and hear about it on TV,” he said. “You don’t expect it to affect your life.
“It was disturbing to say the least. If people could see something like this, they would think twice about doing drugs.”
He noted he had spoken earlier in the day to the person who died when he picked up the dogs.
Cooke posted transport photos of the dogs on his Facebook page, a usual practice for him.
This is part of his commentary from his Facebook page: “It was so unreal ... I had never saw someone deceased before, let alone from a drug overdose. We all see stories about this epidemic, and some of us may have even lost loved ones to this horrific drug.
“I really have no words to describe the tragic scene, except to say that this drug is beyond dangerous, and its effects are deadly. The dogs are being cared for by other family members for now, and their future care is my main focus. Still, the reality of what I witnessed today will forever remain etched in my mind.”