Louie had his own story in The Advocate!
Abandoned dog heads to N.J. to continue ‘the care he needs’ By Kimberly Vetter, Advocate Staff Writer Published March 15, 2008
All it took for two New Jersey animal lovers to pack up their Dodge Caravan and drive across the country was seeing a picture of Petey, the English Bulldog.
I’ve nursed back some sick dogs but have never seen anything like this”, said Joanne Hale, of MidAtlantic Bulldog Rescue. “We will do whatever it takes so that he gets the care he needs”.
Petey had been dropped off at the East Baton Rouge Parish Animal Control Center on Feb. 25 by a woman who found the dog with a nylon wire wrapped around his hind legs, said Hilton Cole, director of the center.
The wire cut Petey’s skin and muscle to the tendon and bone, said Dr. Marianne Fairchild, a veterinarian who works and volunteers at the center. The wire also cut off his circulation, causing his feet to swell to twice their size in some areas and to four times in other areas.
The wire was most likely from a dog runner, a device dog owners set up in their yards that allow their pets to move around without running away, Fairchild said.
Petey probably got loose and ran off with the wire still attached to him.
“He’s been the best patient,” she said. “He’s going to make a full recovery.”
The rest of Petey’s treatment, however, will be in New Jersey instead of Louisiana. Neither the Animal Control Center nor Louisiana Bulldog Rescue have the resources to continue Petey’s care.
Trish Brumfield, a volunteer with Louisiana Bulldog Rescue, contacted several rescue organizations across the country to see if they could take Petey. Hale and her rescue partner, Cathy Kittell, said yes and met Brumfield in Meridian, Miss., on Friday to pick up Petey and another English Bulldog in need.
Hale and Kittell said the 16-hour trip was the longest they’ve taken to rescue a dog. The women started Mid-Atlantic Bulldog Rescue in October, but have been taking in stray dogs for the past decade.
“I couldn’t let this dog stay down there by himself,” said Kittell, who helped find homes for animals abandoned during Hurricane Katrina. “Looking at those pictures were heartbreaking.”
Hale said Petey will meet with a veterinarian Monday and, if necessary, a specialist. He also has a prospective home, she said. The wife of a veterinarian who helps the MidAtlantic Rescue organization is interested in making him her pet.
Brumfield called Hale and Kittell angels.
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