55 Dogs Starving to Death in Oklahoma
I just Received this...I sent it on to Best Friends...I didn't know if anyone at Pet Talk knew someone that could help.....
This just came in
Subject: URGENT EMERGENCY 55 Dogs starving to death in Stillwell
Oklahoma
Thursday, October 31, 2002
Dear Fellow Rescuers.
This is Robin Pressnall, President of Small Paws Rescue in Tulsa,
Oklahoma. http://www.smallpawsrescue.org/pup3/bungeevet.html
We normally only rescue Bichon Frise nationwide. This is not related to
Bichons or Small Paws Rescue.
Please read this even if you are not near Stillwell, Oklahoma. We need
your
suggestions.
Late yesterday afternoon, I got a call from Faith Orlowski, one of the
animal welfare lawyers we work with here in Tulsa. Her number 1-918-583
3145. Faith she had just received a call from the Cherokee Nation
Marshal's
office down near Stillwell Oklahoma, deep into in Adair County.
A man there had died five months ago, leaving 76 dogs trapped in pens.
The
dogs are now starving to death. Many have starved already to death.
I drove straight to Petsmart, and told them what is going on and they
donated about 400 pounds of dog food to us right then and there.
We were planning to take a team down last night , just to go evaluate
the
situation when we got word that a neighbor had just let the surviving
dogs
loose to fend for themselves. We were told there was nothing left to
evaluate.
I convinced the Marshals to let at least Dale and I come last night
anyway,
and bring the dog food, to place in the area where they HAD been,
thinking
this would get them back in captivity for a possible future rescue.
The Cherokee Marshall (very nice man who has two altered St Bernards
himself) met us at a truck stop and before he led Dale and I out there
he
told us...I need to warn you...This is very dark, rough place we are
going
...unsafe, dangerous. Drug dealers, ect... Ok, let's go."
My husband Dale and traveled for miles, winding the narrow hill roads,
leaving our present space of security, and going back in time to the
deepest
darkest reaches of civiliation. The people there live in tiny huts or
shacks, and the elders still speak Cherokee.
I sensed that I was in an area where the word "poor" just did it no
justice.
This was worse than "dirt poor". The people there needed rescuing and
had no
money for themselves, much less someone else's 55 dogs.
The previous info had been wrong. The dogs were still trapped in
pens...al
but five of them.
The pens where high with grass, and the smell was unbearable. We saw a
small
skull...but no bodies. The Marshall's had already removed those.
Folks, these are just plain old Oklahoma country dogs. I saw one
possible
red Aussie pup, and I brought home a dog that appears to be a wheaten
terrier. It was running loose and would come and raise up on us..so we
brought this one back and are hoping Wheatie Rescue can take pity on us
and
take him. He has been eating persimmons to stay alive. You don't want
to
know how we know.
There is a mama yellow labbish looking dog with four puppies about 4-5
months old.
I saw several coon houndy-huntingly looking dogs. There were no
shepherd
mixes or pittbills, thank God for small favors.
There may have been some pure labs or Irish Setters....it is hard to
tell
because they are so poor. Mostly we saw dogs that could have at one
time
been used for hunting maybe? I could have sworn I saw a Gordon Setter.
There were a couple of beagle sized dogs, and everything else was
around
40
pounds. There was one dog running loose with not one hair left due to
what
appeared to be mange.
We were able to coax some of the loose dogs to us, and put them in pens
with
empty pans where we had added food and water.
When we first started feedling the huge donated sacks, there was much
barking and whining...but as each dog was fed, the barking subsisted
until
after two hours of hearing the dogs eating and barking, all was quiet.
Ok. Here is the problem. The Cherokee Nation Marshal's says that the
tribe
has no money for any rescue like this...that people are starving out
there
too.
I wondered if they shouldn't have money from Bingo and cigarettes
sales,
but
we are having a hard time finding anyone who can talk to us about it.
We have a call into Denver Fox at the SPCA in Tulsa, but I am concerned
this
will be out of his jurisdiction of Tulsa County, since it way out in
Adair
County.
Is there a state agency...that can help these dogs?
Is there a national agency that can help them?
The dogs are going to have to be moved somewhere else as they are now
sitting on someone else's proerty and they want them gone.
They may all be HW pos...I just don't know. I know they are starving
and
soon will die without intervention from someone. Many will probably
need
to
be put down.
It is a 2 1/2 hour drive from Tulsa...I had thought about asking the
media
down there and asking the Tulsa community for help but now, since I
have
been there...I don't think the media would even come that far for an
animal
rescue story.
If these dogs are going to come out of there alive, they will need
several
vets to take them and evaluate them. The will need transport. They will
need
money for treatment and money for boarding until adoption, if adoption
is
even possible.
Have any of you been involved in anything like this and where do we
turn
next? The Marshall's told me they will happily let state or Federal
agencies
step in to take the dogs away.
If you have info on how to help, please let me know ASAP...thanks,
It's not the fault of the dogs, and them seemed to know we had come to
help
them. Now we need to know now to help them more...and get them moved
from
the place they have been abandonded in those pens with no food.
This is an emergency. The dogs are trapped in pens with no one to feed
them,
and no one who can buy food to feed them there. Please feel free to
crosspost.
Robin Pressnall
