Ellie Brecher is a general assignment reporter for The Miami Herald. Email her at pets@miamiherald.com.
Pet lady: That's my role in the Miami Herald newsroom. I've been here since 1989, during which time I've had 11 dogs, a ring-necked parakeet, a chicken, and a lizard named Lance. At the moment, I have four dogs, one step-dog, and two cockatiels. A native New Yorker, I came here from Louisville, Ky. I'm a graduate of the University of Arizona, and had a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard in 1988. I have written 309 stories containing the word "dog" in the past 20 years.
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FOUND AREA OF SUNSET AND PALMETTO
Female/Black
Approximately 2 feet high/Seems like a young dog
Found wearing choker and rope/very skinny
Very sweet dog, a little skittish.
Please help us find her home or a new owner.
Thanks! Call 786-337-4364 if you know who owns this dog.
There is a world of sorrow and pain in this poor dog's eyes. You can tell what he's been through from all the scars. His name is Sam, he's about 3 and neutered. He was used as bait for fighting pitbulls, then rescued from certain death at Animal Services. He need someone to love him forever.Here's part of the email I got explaining his situation.
"Sam is a delightful little boy, who has the cutest walk, snores like a baby, has a big bright smile and the sweetest heart in the world! He is so happy to be in a home, wagging his tail already. Very sweet and gentle boy.
"Sam cries in his sleep (God only knows the nightmares he has) and his foster mom sleeps with him on the floor. He is in no condition to be placed in a kennel. He is terrified of everything and rightfully so. Sam has known nothing but PURE EVIL at the hands of humans and without a doubt needed this quiet and peaceful environment to help him overcome the emotional hurdles he faced.
"Sam could not and will not walk when he is taken outside, again any noise terrifies him. So his foster mom has to carry a 60 pound dog up and down two flights of stairs three to four times a day. Sam is afraid of his own reflection in a mirror. If he sees another dog he cowers because the only life he has known (all three years of life) has been being attacked by fighting dogs. He would not eat so he was hand feed for days, he is now finally eating on his own.
"Let us give Sam another chance. He has never known love, attention, or care from anyone. He survived a horrendous ordeal, and can only survive this, with your help. He needs veterinary care first and foremost, then we need to find him a loving permanent home. Although he sustained serious wounds while being used as a warm up tool for dog fighting, he will recover fully and receive the love that he deserves.
"HE STILL NEEDS A FOREVER HOME! He has come this far! He deserves another chance, and will thank his new mother or father for the rest of his life.''
If you are interested, please get in touch with Mirna Trujillo. Email: mirna1395@hotmail.com
Phone: 786-281-7599.
Any potential adopter will be carefully screened for the ability to take care of Sam's emotional and physical needs.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) K-9 Gauge used his keen sense of smell to alert officers that an illegal catch was onboard a vessel. Gauge, a 3-year-old black Labrador certified in wildlife detection, sniffed out 15 undersized lobster tails and other illegal catch hidden inside a boat’s console during a recent joint law enforcement detail at the Blackpoint Marina in Miami-Dade County.
On May 7, FWC officers were inspecting boats returning to the marina. During one inspection, Gauge indicated that there was something suspicious in the boat’s center console. Officers opened the console door and found a canvas bag with lobster tails sticking out. Officers inventoried the contents of the bag and found 15 undersized spiny lobster tails, three undersized red grouper, three punctured blue crabs and 11 undersized hogfish.
Orlando Guerra (DOB 09/22/50) of Miami is facing eight misdemeanor charges.
“The FWC is fortunate to have three K-9 teams in South Florida,” said Lt. Jay Marvin, who organized the detail. “The specially trained K-9s work closely with officers, allowing us to track down fish and wildlife law violators.”
Thrown from the turnpike and left to die: Here is Turnpike’s story and pics. With his clear sky blue eyes, he loves and lives...
My friend's husband was coming home from the fire department early one Sunday morning and saw Turnpike hiding in the tall grass along the turnpike. If not for his face standing out like a beacon he might not have seen him. When he stopped to go get him, he slipped off into the marsh and thickets so her husband called her to come help find him. They searched for nearly 3 hours with no sign of him but then they got an idea to shake dry dog food in a metal dish to see if that would trigger a response. It worked. Just a few yards off, he lifted his head up and they saw him for the first time. He tried to come to them but you could see that he was mixed with fear and desperation but he was too weak and injured to make his way to them so they literally had to crawl to him through the thick tangle of vegetation.
They got him home and since it was Sunday morning they knew there was no point in calling a vet. None would be available and it would have only added greatly to the expense of his repair. They set up a bed for him in the spare bedroom and got some IV fluids started. Rich and Terri made a makeshift splint for his dangling leg and fed him tiny mouthfuls of food every 15-20 minutes around the clock for the remainder of the weekend.
At the vets, it was determined that he was less than half of his proper weight at 32 pounds, he had a thin cotton rope embedded around his neck, a severe fracture that appeared to be several weeks old, numerous pressure sores and severely infested with internal parasites. It was not discovered until days later that his other hind leg was broken but less severely. The vets recommended that the one leg be amputated, that it had been broken for too long and would not heal properly. Terri and her husband discussed the expense of saving his leg at $4000 to keep it with titanium plates and screws or $500 to remove it. They opted to try and save his leg and hoped it would work. By the time they got him back from the vets, the bill was enormous but they have no regrets and say they'd do it again. In no time at all he was on the mend and looking like the picture of health. His body was healing but his spirit was crushed. This poor dog was so beaten and abused that the repairs to his mind took much longer. They have him now, where he walks on a leash, takes food. He will sit and mind pretty well but still has some fear issues, particularly with strangers. He is not bitter but he will run if frightened. He is not great with cats or small animals. He has killed 2 chickens but in both cases, the chicken got into his pen. He reads minds and knows your mood long before you get to him. He’s a high energy dog and needs an outlet for some of that energy. Flyball might be a good consideration.
If you'd like to love Turnpike forever and treat him they way he deserves, please call Tracey Zack(786)402-7794 or email me at tzack@urbantails.org
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