Washington Humane Society Blog

Trooper leaves hospital!

 

On a sunny autumn day with TV news cameras rolling, Trooper, the dog left for dead in a dumpster left the hospital to start a new life. Her physical recovery has been remarkable and today marked the start of her emotional recovery.  Trooper is now at a rescue organization that specializes in rehabilitating animal victims of dog fighting. 

Washington Humane Society President and CEO, Lisa LaFontaine, Chief Programs Officer, Scott Giacoppo and Chief Development Officer, Julie Conway escorted Trooper to her new temporary home.   The hope is she will get the care she needs, in order to fully recover from her ordeal and one day be adopted by a loving family. 

WHS will be monitoring Trooper’s progress so please stay tuned to our blog, faceback and twitter pages.

 

ADORABLE PIT PUPPIES NEED A HOME

 

 

They are sweet, cuddly and in desperate need of a foster home until they are old enough to be adopted.  Please help save two adorable pit pups who are the last of their litter.   The little girl and her brother are just over a week old and are smaller than a coke can. They where surrendered to the Washington Humane Society because their owner could no longer take care of them.

The owner had been bottle feeding but realized he was not able to provide the around the clock care they needed.  He wisely called the Washington Humane Society for help.  Now we need your help to find a foster home and eventually, a permanent home. 

These puppies are just a few of the animals in need of foster care at WHS. Kittens and puppies that are not weaned, too young for vaccines, or too young to be spayed/neutered need to go to a foster home before they can be adopted to their permanent home. Pregnant dogs, nursing moms with kittens, animals recovering from surgery, or those that are just scared in a shelter environment also need a foster home.

 

To find out more about how you can become a foster, please email: aburgess@washhumane.org.  

 

 

Humane Education: Teachable Moments

By: Shakela Brown, WHS Humane Education Outreach Program Manager

As Trooper continues to heal, we continue to learn from her ordeal. Her story can teach us about empathy and courage. 

Empathy is one of my favorite lessons to teach.  It teaches students to put themselves in someone else’s shoes.  Trooper’s story does just that.   Children will be able to think about Trooper and what she endured before she was saved. Everyone throws stuff in the trash can, but a dumpster is a large smelly dark space.

Empathy can be taught everyday.  Students can call us if they see an animal in need.  They can think, “What if that was me, I would want someone to help me”.   Kids can also help by simply doing good deeds.   They could collect and donate items to their local shelters.

The Washington Humane Society also helps people.  Many times the homes officers investigate are in need of other services, so WHS often contacts other agencies for assistance. 

Teaching students to think about other people and animals is important, but we must also teach them to do something about it.  This lesson will empower students and teach them to care about others.

 

The last lesson we can learn from Trooper is courage.  It took courage for someone to call us about Trooper. Every day the Washington Humane Society receives calls from citizens who are concerned about animals in their community. The citizens are courageous and are heroes to the animals.  We depend on the public to be our eyes and ears.

Trooper’s courage and determination also helped her survive her ordeal.  Many times people fight through sickness and pain.  Trooper definitely demonstrated to everyone that she is a fighter.  She is getting stronger ev ery day. 

We can teach students to have courage daily.  Many students face difficult situations. We need to encourage them to be brave and to do the right thing.  It is a hard lesson but it will help them mature and develop integrity.  Students face a lot of peer pressure, to fit in, to be accepted and to be liked. 

Students can also learn about courage by simply opening their history books. They can look up to those who stood up for civil rights. The District of Columbia if filled with museums, monuments and other enriching activities and sites that can help them understand the importance of having courage.  Courage can also help build a student’s self esteem and self worth which helps them to not only stand up for people but for animals as well.

 

Part III: 6 Part Q&A Series with WHS's Scott Giacoppo on Dog Fighting

Our Chief Programs Officer, Scott Giacoppo, (pictured left) is lending his more than 20+ years of experience in the field to answer questions on this topic.

Dog Fighting Q&A: Part III

What are the current laws in DC on dog fighting?

Fortunately, the laws in Washington, DC are very good when it comes to animal fighting. 

In the last legislative session in 2008, a bill was passed that now makes being a spectator at a dog fight a felony offense. This new law is hitting the dog fighters right where it hurts them the most, in their wallets! The spectators provide the financial incentive to hold the fights in the first place, so making it a serious crime goes a long way as a deterrent.  

 

 What law do you think should be put in place next?

I would say that giving the Washington Humane Society (WHS) Humane Law Enforcement (HLE) Officers more police authority in DC would go a long way to help.

 

Right now if an HLE Officer sees the abuse of an animal occurring in front of them, they have to call in the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to make the arrest. While MPD is great to work with and would never hesitate to come to our aid, there is a need to act instantly in these situations. By the time MPD arrives, the crime is typically over and the criminal may have gotten away. 

 

A number of other cities around the country have given their HLE Officers full police powers. For many years I was an HLE Officer in Boston, MA and held police powers. I had to attend the Police Academy right along side the other state Police Officers. In Boston, I was an actual Police Officer, but in DC we are just not there yet unfortunately.

If you would like to submit a question related to dog fighting for Scott to answer, please e-mail your question to WHS@washhumane.org.  

Trooper Update

Trooper is continuing to improve while enjoying her new kennel, as well as her very special little toy, a plush brown cow. Trooper carries this toy around with her as if it were a puppy, licking it and cleaning it contently.

Trooper is now going on short periodic walks under the close supervision of Friendship Hospital for Animals staff. The staffers have noticed how much she seems to appreciate the fresh air and sun that these walks offer her.

Abused Kitten Meets New Family at the Meow Luau!

By: Diana Foley

Amongst the palm trees and parrots hanging from the ceiling, six of the kittens at last night’s Meow Luau found themselves snuggled up in the arms of adopters planning to make them a part of their families.  One of those kittens was a frisky four-month-old named “Sid”.  Prior to arriving at WHS, Sid had suffered a long history of abuse in his short life.  He had been living in the purse of his homeless owner and was subjected to physical abuse that left him with a bruised lung and fractured ribs. After being rescued by our Humane Law Enforcement team, Sid spent the last several weeks recovering in the offices of the officers who rescued him, where he learned to get along with big dogs, small dogs, and even rabbits, and in his spare time rearranged items on the desks. He made his adoption debut at the Meow Luau and now puts his past behind him as he heads off to a new home with loving adopters and an orange tabby cat who will be his new feline playmate and companion in life.

Many thanks to our fosters and volunteers who helped make this adoption event a success! Pictured on the right is Sid, tuckered out after a long evening of greeting adopters.

 

GUILTY!

Today, August 27, 2009 in DC Superior Court, Judge Diaz, convicted Ms. Cytina Roy of Washington, DC for failing to provide proper food and veterinary care to the dog we have all come to know as “Smitty.” Ms. Roy received 2 years of probation and 90 days suspended jail time. 

You may remember the story of Smitty (Click here for Smitty’s Story). He was rescued this past winter by Animal Control Field Supervisor, Ted Deppner, who then immediately contacted Humane Law Enforcement Officer Ann Russell about Smitty’s alarming physical condition.   

Officer Russell (pictured left) rushed Smitty to Friendship Hospital for Animals where they determined he was extremely emaciated due to starvation. Over the next few weeks Smitty regained a healthy weight and an arrest warrant was issued for Ms. Roy.

 

The pain and suffering Smitty endured was not in vain; today, 6 months after he came into our care at WHS, justice has prevailed. (pictured right: Smitty in his new home)

Humane Education: Creating Teachable Moments

By: Shakela Brown, Humane Education Program Manager

As the WHS Humane Education Outreach Manager, it is my job to educate the public, specifically children and teenagers about animal safety and animal cruelty. 

School has just started and Trooper's story will be an important learning opportunity in many ways for students. It is our job as a community to be sure we utilize this opportunity as a way to teach compassion and responsibility for animals.

Trooper's case like many others leaves us wondering who, why, and how could they have done this to her. A way to teach a child or teenager about this is by providing a hands on learning experience for them.

For example, you can take them to visit an animal shelter to meet the animals. All of the animals have stories that explain how they ended up at the shelter.

One way animals find their way to the shelter is when their previous owner didn’t understand how much responsibility owning that animal would be and disregarded them in an inhumane way. Another way is when the previous owner realizes that but acts responsibly by bringing that animal to the shelter to find a new home.

Educating both children and adults on responsible animal care, responsible actions and behaviors toward animals will help to end the cycle of animal cruelty from happening in our community. 

Part II: 6 Part Q&A Series with WHS's Scott Giacoppo on Dog Fighting

Our Chief Programs Officer, Scott Giacoppo, (pictured left) is lending his more than 20+ years of experience in the field to answer questions on this topic. We will post this Q&A in a 6 part series here on our blog over the next 2 weeks.

Dog Fighting Q&A: Part II

How are these illegal dogs fights organized and why is it so hard to catch them in the act?

Animal fighting is a very secretive and underground activity. Before being allowed to partake, it is not uncommon for the promoters of the dog fight to do background checks and have other people vouch for them to make sure that law enforcement doesn’t get in or find out that it’s happening.  

These fights can be held almost anywhere. Several years ago I investigated a case where there was an organized dog fight going on in the basement, while a child’s birthday party went on right upstairs of the same home. They used the child's party as a cover for the numbers of people and cars at the house that day.

Security is also a problem. Many of these dog fighters  pay a young child to watch out for law enforcement, so if police show up, the child merely calls a cell phone and everyone runs for cover. All evidence is hidden before the police even arrive on scene.

If you would like to submit a question related to dog fighting for Scott to answer, please e-mail your question to WHS@washhumane.org.

Trooper Update - Day 17

Each day Trooper is getting better and better.

While there is still some swelling around her face, the swelling has gone down a considerable amount and continues to with each new day. She still requires routine bandages changes by the Friendship Hospital for Animals staff.

The best news of all to report is that today Trooper has been moved out of the intensive care unit, and into a larger kennel area where she has more room now.