Coming To The Rescue Of A Spirited Dog

By Shannon Hicks

Animal Control Officer Carolee Mason has had some tough days lately.

While the majority of us have been complaining about the heat and humidity, we at least can stay in the relatively cool confines of our homes and offices or escape the unbearable air by jumping into a pool or lake. Ms Mason, however, is required to respond to calls to track, chase and/or capture pets that have run through their electric fences, or chase down a loose cow — as she did on Tuesday, during the worst of this week’s heat wave — that just doesn’t want to be caught.

There are days when she works in the rain, or snow, because that’s what her job calls for her to do. She oversees the dog pound behind the town landfill, sometimes dealing with injured animals and at other times helping animals find their way into a new home through adoption. She can look back over the last five months, since becoming the town’s animal control officer, and admit that there have been good calls to respond to, and there have been some hard ones.

But none of these calls have broken her heart the way a Monday morning call did. Ms Mason had to drive to The Animal Emergency Clinic of Danbury to pick up a male Pomeranian that had been abandoned over the weekend. The dog was also badly abused. There is no way of knowing when or how, but somewhere along the way the dog received a severe burn. It appears to be a chemical burn over the dog’s back and sides, with deep scarring already apparent.

The dog had been discovered on Sunday near the Exit 9 commuter lot by some people who live in Monroe, Ms Mason said, but because it was the weekend the Danbury location, a 24-hour clinic, was the only place that was open. Ms Mason went into Danbury on Monday morning to retrieve the dog because of where it had originally been found.

It has no tags, and no collar. There is no way of knowing yet whether this dog was abandoned by someone using the commuter lot as a quick dropping point from nearby I-84 or ran away from a home in the Hawleyville area.

Back in Newtown, Ms Mason took the dog to Mt Pleasant Hospital For Animals. Dr Rock Vali, DVM, of the animal hospital said the dog was burned over 75 percent of its body, with most of those burns measuring third degree.

When it arrived at the hospital on Monday, the dog went through the process of debridement, or using a liquid to remove dead, contaminated, or adherent tissue or foreign material. It can be a very painful treatment to undergo.

Dr Vali and staff members all noted that the dog seemed to be in surprisingly good spirits, though.

“He’s just the nicest little thing,” said Mary Simpson, a veterinarian assistant.

“He’s been such a trooper through this whole thing,” agreed Ms Mason.

Fortunately, the animal control officer said, abused animals do not seem to be a regular occurrence in Newtown.

“This is the first abuse case I’ve had,” she said, “but it’s just devastating.”

Donations from the public would help offset the cost of the as-yet-unnamed dog’s treatment. Dr Vali estimated that the normal bill for a canine patient with this type of wound cost about $75 per day, and there will be a long recovery period ahead.

“The bill is going to be very extensive,” said Ms Mason.

“Most likely the dog is injured only from these burns,” Dr Vali said, meaning there do not seem to be internal injuries, broken bones, or other wounds. “The sad part is he has survived this initial burn, but on the burn area the hair will not come back.

“He’s stable,” continued the veterinarian. “He’s eating a little and he’s on antibiotics. Now he needs a lot of TLC. The critical period is done; now we need to continue maintenance, the antibiotics and ointments.”

When the dog is well enough to be released from the animal hospital Ms Mason plans to keep the dog in her home for the time being.

“We have to be so careful against infections, especially with wounds like this,” she said. “You don’t want to put a dog in this condition at the pound. So he’s coming home with me for now.”

The animal control officer’s budget is small to begin with, and it is used to take care of food for the year at the town dog pound and various supplies and the office’s equipment. The town does not budget for the care of abandoned animals, so it is up to private funds to help pay for emergency treatment like this.

“He’s going to make it,” said Ms Mason. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get him where he’s ready to go to a new home.”

Anyone with information about this dog is asked to call the Newtown dog pound, 426-6900. Donations to help cover his recovery fees will be gratefully accepted and should be sent to Canine Advocates of Newtown, Inc, PO Box 236, Newtown CT 06470, with a notation for Pomeranian Fund.