Jul 21, 2014

Where is Sarah McLachlan When You Need Her?


UPDATE: I received pictures of this poor baby. The quality is blurry because the photographer was a little afraid of getting caught trespassing. I was told the dog is tied to the pipe, with no food, or water beyond what concerned citizens bring to it.



This post isn’t about me (shocking!) It’s about a little dog being abused/neglected in a little town in Michigan, and how the “authorities” don’t want to do anything about it. I’m hoping that social media can do what it sometimes does, and right a wrong.

My friend lives in Alpena, Michigan. I’ve known her, well, pretty much all my life. She is a lover of underdogs, human and otherwise. She’s a special education teacher, mother to two amazing kids, loving wife, and a friend to all animals, large and small.

Every day she drives by a field and sees this poor little dog, neglected in a huge empty field. Every. Day. This poor fur-baby of unknown pedigree has only a plastic house for shelter. In the heat of summer, with nothing to shade it, the temperature of that house must exceed 120 degrees. In winter, I can’t begin to imagine how cold it is.

Every day my friend stops to make sure this little guy has food and water. She’s talked to the so-called owner of this “pet” and he laughs and tells her to move along. The owner knows that no one is going to do anything to him.

I hope that doesn’t stay true.

My friend, this lover of creatures in need, worries about him. She goes and talks to him. She says he wags his tail at her. Her heart breaks. She’s worried about ticks. She’s debated stealing him in the dead of night (a move I encouraged) but personal circumstances (and, unfortunately, morals) prevent her from doing so.

A few days ago, she discovered that another person was as concerned about this little guy as she was. So concerned, she wrote a Letter to the Editor of the Alpena paper in hopes that someone would save this poor animal’s life.  Apparently, no one wants to officially help.

So let’s see if we can change that.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, when you notice an animal suffering from cruelty, abuse, or NEGLECT, you are to notify the police and the proper animal welfare agency.  

Well - it just so happens I know how to Google.

You can call the Alpena County Sheriff's Department at 989-354-9839. Please tell them that you have become aware of a small dog being a victim of extreme neglect, located near 6422 Werth Road in Alpena, Michigan 49707

You can also call the Huron Humane Society at (989) 356-4794 or email them at manager.hhs@frontier.com.

I would also recommend emailing the Humane Society of the United States at this address: crueltyresponse@humanesociety.org and/or calling them at 866-720-2676 Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., or Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time.

According to the HSUS, law enforcement can get involved.   “The officer may speak with the owner and issue a citation and give the owner a chance to correct the violation.”

“If the neglect or abuse is extreme, a humane agency may take custody of the animals to protect them. The agency will present the case to the prosecutor's office for further evaluation and possible prosecution.”

Please. Do what you can to help. Call the officials whose job it is to serve and protect these animals. This little dog deserves more than to die in a field all alone, especially when there are people in the community willing to take him in and love him.

Don’t make me play the video.


3 comments:

  1. Noooo, not that video! *tears*

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  2. I know, right? Sarah McLachlan is about to ruin your WHOLE DAY. But that's because normal human beings are sickened by cruelty - as we should be. I hope this poor furbaby gets saved.

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  3. You have to realize, the the Humane Society of Alpena is NOT the Law. They CANNOT go above and beyond what the law says, AND they can't even take animals without a Police Officer there. The Humane Society of Alpena has NO RIGHTS to take animals from anyone. Reports have to be filed with the POLICE, and THEY HAVE BEEN. Complaints have been filled. Even ANIMAL CONTROL cannot TAKE a dog without a POLICE OFFICER there (unless a person willingly hands over their animal). So for those of you blaming the HHS for this, this is NOT their fault. They have gone ABOVE AND BEYOND by checking on this dog and talking to the owner and trying to educate the owner. It is NOT illegal in the state of Michigan to keep a dog chained up outside with food, water, and shelter. If you are upset by this, instead of sitting on your computer and being mad at the HHS, DO SOMETHING. Get PROACTIVE!! Get the law changed, call your congressmen, go to city council meetings, go to county commissioners meetings, file your complaints with them. Because until the law says differently, these people with this dog are sadly not doing anything illegal.

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