Some days when you read the newspaper you just have to shake your head and go - have I just been plunked down in an alternate universe? I read a story in the newspaper this morning, and all the facts in the story were horrible - and yet the story was written as a heartwarming, feel good story. Here are the facts of the story - 6 years ago a dog is abandoned when it's owners move away - they leave the dog behind at the old house. People see that the dog has been abandoned and call all the authorities - the humane society, the dog catcher - everybody, but no one does anything and the dog just continues to live on the vacant property until today when he is now 12 years old - still alone. And to top it all off - a year ago - down the road a female dog - who is kept outside all the time - and TIED UP ALL THE TIME - is impregnated by him and has puppies and all the puppies look exactly like him - and the owner of the female dog is absolutely mystified how this dog could have impregnated her dog because her dog is TIED UP ALL THE TIME. And the story is written as a feel good story. A male, unneutered dog is abandoned and alone on a vacant lot for 6 years - left to his own devices, adding to the unwanted companion animal population, having to fend for himself and deal with all types of severe weather - and someone thinks this will make a happy story. Actually 2 happy stories - because when I went and did a Google search - I found a SECOND news story about the dog.
All I can do is shake my head.
Here are the stories for your disbelief - if they showed up in your daily newspaper - PLEASE write a letter to your editor!!
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Canada/476085.htmlv
Dog living on own has life of Reilly
By The Canadian Press
MILNER RIDGE, Man. — For six years, Patches the pooch has lived on his own in an abandoned house, relying on the kindness of strangers.
The springer spaniel was left behind when his family pulled up stakes and left the house in a clearing in the woods of Milner Ridge, 75 kilometres east of Winnipeg.
Pitying passersby called the Winnipeg Humane Society, animal control and even the provincial veterinarian, but an investigation by those agencies discovered that despite his solitude, Patches is living the life of Reilly.
He has two dog houses, water from an underground spring, three types of dog food that people bring him (in addition to a deer scraps from hunters), an old shack for shelter, a dense woods where he catches bush rabbits, and a community that loves him.
"If we have a steak dinner, we always leave a little meat on the bones for Patches," said Ernie Okrainec, 67, who drops off food every Sunday, and brought 12 bales of flax straw to make a bed for the dog.
Okrainec also brings treats on special occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Other people drop off food and water on other days. Nearby residents decorate Patches' yard at Christmas and Halloween.
Neighbour Brian Zolinski said Patches is a friendly dog who always comes out to greet visitors and hardly ever barks.
People have tried to adopt him but without much success.
One well-intentioned family loaded him up in their vehicle once and started driving down the highway.
Patches went crazy, tearing apart their van. They quickly brought him back.
"He would have just come back anyway," said Okrainec.
There is a dogcatcher in the community but some residents had a little confab with him years ago concerning Patches.
"The dog isn't bothering anyone," explained Marlene Watson, chief administrator for the Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet.
Okrainec said Patches, who is now about 12 years old, will leave his own legacy behind when his time comes. About a year ago, a female dog of a different breed, who lives about five kilometres down the road, had a litter of eight pups.
Every one looked like Patches.
"The owner doesn't know how he did it," Okrainec said. "She says she keeps her dog tied up all the time."
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/local/story/3251800p-3765567c.html
It takes a village to raise this springer spaniel
Mon Jan 9 2006 By Bill Redekop
MILNER RIDGE -- The Winnipeg Humane Society was called, and animal control, and finally, the provincial veterinarian.
The people calling felt sorry for the dog that lives in an abandoned house in a clearing in the woods here, 75 kilometres east of Winnipeg.
Instead, what investigators found was a dog leading the life of Riley.
Patches, a springer spaniel, has two doghouses, water from an underground spring, three types of dog food that people bring him (in addition to deer scraps from hunters), an old shack for shelter, a dense woods where he catches bush rabbits, and a community that loves him.
Patches lives here. He's lived alone ever since a family pulled up stakes and abandoned him and the house six years ago. "If we have a steak dinner, we always leave a little meat on the bones for Patches," said Ernie Okrainec, who drops off food every Sunday, and brought 12 bales of flax straw to make a bed for Patches.
Okrainec also brings treats on special occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
It's a community effort.
Other people drop off food and water on other days. People decorate the dog's yard at Christmas and Halloween.
Patches can often be spotted on a pile of logs in the yard watching cars go by, or sleeping. Someone decided to build him a doghouse and placed it on the logs. Patches sometimes sleeps on top of the doghouse, à la Snoopy, but won't go inside.
So, someone built him a bigger doghouse. That didn't fly either.
The doghouses now serve as pantries: deer scraps go in the smaller one, and dog food kernels in the larger one.
When you visit Patches, it feels like you're on his property. Yellow-stained snow lines the top of the unshovelled driveway, like a gate. On our first visit with neighbour Brian Zolinski, Patches trotted out cautiously from the house to check the guests. Patches also walked us to the highway when it was time to leave. (Or maybe it
was his way of hinting it was time we left!) But it also feels weird: a dog and an empty house.
He's a beautiful dog. He lowers his head and looks up at you with sweet eyes, masked with black patches. The only explanation that evolution could have for a springer spaniel's black-and-white markings is camouflage for sleeping on a patchwork quilt.
Patches isn't a barker either, and no one has ever complained about him. His long hair protects him in winter. When it gets really cold, he goes under the house or into a shack in back.
People have tried to adopt him. A well-intentioned family from Lac du Bonnet loaded him up in their vehicle once and started driving down the highway. Patches went crazy, tearing apart their van. They quickly brought him back. Another family from Beausejour tried the same thing, with the same results.
"He would have just come back anyway," said Okrainec.
To hear people talk, Patches belongs with the Savage Sams, Big Reds, Call of the Wilds, even the B-I-N-G-Os of children's books and songs.
Patches does some hunting, too -- his breed is traditionally a sporting dog used for finding and flushing out game. "I saw some blood on his nose and I thought, 'What the heck? Was he in a fight?' "Okrainec recalled. "Here it was he'd caught a bush rabbit. My wife said she wouldn't be surprised if he had a deer hanging in the bush."
Patches has almost certainly encountered wolves, considering his postal code is the edge of Agassiz Provincial Forest. Okrainec thinks he had a run-in with a bear once. "What happened to you, boy?" Okrainec said, when he saw a piece of flesh the size of a bear paw torn out of his back. A cloud of flies hovered around, trying to lay eggs in the wound.
Okrainec drove back to Lac du Bonnet, got some salve and tick powder, and treated Patches until his wound completely healed. Okrainec, 67, seemed to get a bit misty-eyed talking about it, and it's a good bet he was. He's a softy. His own springer spaniel passed away about four years ago, so Okrainec knows the breed and how attached the dogs become to a single master and place. He didn't get another pet dog
because he worried what would happen if he suddenly couldn't care for it anymore.
Ernie and his wife -- whose name is "Leave me out of this," she said, when asked -- have stacks of photographs of Patches, including a framed picture for the mantle.
Okrainec even has two bobble-head dog dolls on his dashboard. When Okrainec drives up in his van, Patches comes tearing up a path of the long country driveway, and is at the van door before Ernie rolls to a stop.
Patches, now 12 years of age, has also left a legacy. About a year ago, a female dog of a different breed, who lives about five kilometres down the road, had a litter of eight pups. Every one looked like Patches.
"The owner doesn't know how he did it. She says she keeps her dog tied up all the time," Okrainec said.
There is a dog catcher in the area who gets paid $75 per dog, but some people had a little confab with him years ago concerning Patches. "The dog isn't bothering anyone," maintained Marlene Watson, chief administrator for the RM of Lac du Bonnet.
The community is protective of Patches. People either don't know or won't say who owns the land where Patches lives, even the municipal office. It seems to be provincial land, part of Agassiz Provincial Forest. In the 1960s, a lot of squatters lived on adjacent land.
People were concerned that writing about Patches would prompt a humane society to take him away. Vickie Burns, executive director of the Winnipeg Humane Society, said they don't have to worry.
She looked into the case of Patches years ago. Because Patches lives outside the humane society's Winnipeg jurisdiction, Burns called the provincial veterinarian to investigate. The vet looked into it, took some photos, and came to the conclusion that Patches is one lucky dog. "The dog is being cared for. It would be cruel to take it away," said Burns. "There's no point in us picking up an animal just to euthanize it."
bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca
Category: [Rescue]
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