I hope you are wrong too Mugsy. Fred is too beautiful a dog to be living outside. And I think gut feelings are often reliable. When I started trying to get information on Jack, I had a gut feeling too. And that's why I continued to encourage Carl to help me do something about Jack. Often people who let dogs live outside do not give them the care they need. For instance, Jack had ticks on him and I am sure that as soon as it warmed up he would have been covered in fleas. He hadn't had a bath in months and the poor boy itched so bad it wasn't funny. He was chained at night adn we have no idea how long that had beengoing on but our vet said his teeth were broken off probably from chewing on a chain. And he had been doing it for some time for them to be in the shape they are in.

I will hope and pray that this guy isn't the jerk you think he is. I hope we can be updated on how Fred is doing. I didn't see how far you had to transport him. Is there any chance you can "drop in" and see how he is doing?