HIT BY CAR AND LEFT FOR DEAD
THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
On December 26th, I received a call from
Sergeant Todd Curtis
with the
Perkins Township Police Department
(located in Sandusky, Ohio, Erie County).
He said that he had responded to a call
concerning a dog
that had been hit on the highway.
The dog was lying on the side of the road when he arrived.
I was confused why Sergeant Curtis had called
S.P.A. as we are a small, grassroot organization
located in another county
about 35 miles away from Sandusky, Ohio.
I asked Srg. Curtis if there were any local animal rescues
who would be willing to help this dog,
and he said he had made several calls
to local rescues and
no one was willing to help her.
He said he had a real fondness for dogs
and that this girl seemed to be in pretty bad shape.
He wasn't sure she was going to make it, he said.
I did indeed hesitate for a few seconds,
as we had just taken little Bell the Chihuahua
(also rescued from Sandusky, Ohio)
to Ohio State University to repair her broken leg
and her bill there totaled well over $1,300,
not to mention after care and boarding.
I needed to make a decision quickly
as this poor dog must be in tremendous pain, I thought.
Officer Curtis had made several calls
and all the while she was in severe pain.
Two SPA members immediately rushed to pick her up
while I placed an emergency call to our vet.
He met us there, and it was determined
that "Olivia" had severe breaks in her upper left leg
and a cracked sternum (in the shape of a lightning bolt).
She had been hit head on.
Dr. Reineck made a call
to Ohio State University
in Columbus, Ohio
to request that Olivia
be admitted as soon as possible.
There was no time to raise funds.
We simply could not allow her
to remain in the tremendous pain
she was in until we were able
to raise the money needed for surgery.
They repaired her leg with pins and plates,
and said that the crack in her sternum
will have to heal on its own.
The doctors at OSU were very surprised
that she took such a hard hit to the chest
without receiving internal injuries.
This sweet dog, who we have named Olivia,
is one of the most gentle, loving dogs
we have ever rescued.
She must have recently given birth.
Hard telling what happened to her puppies.
During the evening hours of March 7-8 1997, intruders broke into Noah's Ark , a no-kill, non-profit, cat and dog rescue shelter, for 'something fun to do on a weekend night'. At that time, seventy to seventy-five cats were awaiting new homes at the Fairfield, Iowa cat sanctuary, where they lived happily in a pleasant two-story house. The intruders viciously beat more than thirty of the resident cats of this loving sanctuary with baseball bats. A sanctuary where David and Laura Sykes, the founders and managers of this extraordinary shelter, had sacrificed and struggled to provide every comfort, necessity and luxury they could afford or manage to provide. Sixteen cats died of their injuries, another twelve were injured, three of them critically. Three cats were never found, and many of the cats were traumatized and afraid of human contact for many weeks afterward. A seventeenth cat, Thomas, died several months later from injuries sustained in the attack.
Once again, youthful suspects, this time from Indiana University, committed an abhorrent act of violence on four neighborhood cats in the town of Bloomington, Indiana USA July 31, 1997. After luring the four unsuspecting cats into a fenced backyard, they heartlessly poured hairspray over them and using a cigarette lighter, set them on fire. Passing motorists saw one of the cats, Olivia, managed to catch her and rushed her to an emergency veterinarian office. Of the four cats, Olivia was the most injured. She had third-degree burns over forty percent of her body and her veterinarian costs were reported to be over $15,000. Sadly on October 12, 1997 Olivia lost her courageous fight and crossed over to the Bridge.
