July 3, 2000
Malnourished
dog receives love, care from Melbourne family
Anonymous
tip led to animal's rescue
By Sara Paulson-Camodeca
FLORIDA TODAY
MELBOURNE, Fla. - Bonnie Ross has seen her share of sick dogs during the past
12 years.
Through her involvement with Weimaraner Rescue, the Melbourne woman has taken
in, rehabilitated and selected adoptive families for plenty of pooches.
But she wasn't prepared for Buddy.
The 4-year-old Weimaraner was picked up by Brevard County Animal Services and
Enforcement after an anonymous tip came in June 13. He was found in the front
yard of his Palm Bay home emaciated, nearly blind and practically immobile.
Authorities believe that Buddy was intentionally starved by his owners.
"I really held myself together (when I first saw him)," Ross said.
"And I came home and I cried for two weeks. What could any creature do to
deserve this?"
Theresa Backes, a veterinary technician at the Wickham Road Animal Hospital,
said when Buddy was brought in he weighed a mere 50 pounds. Weimaraners of his
size normally weigh about 75 pounds, she said. Weimaraners are a medium-sized
dog bred for hunting.
Buddy's muscles were eaten away and replaced with connective tissue.
"It looks like the dog was starved," Backes said. "He was just
a bag of bones when he came in."
Sgt. Chris Robinson of animal services and enforcement said he could not
identify the owners, but they were fined $200 for cruelty and neglect, $115 for
not having the dog vaccinated for rabies and $115 for not having county tags.
The dog will never be returned to them, he said.
"There is enough evidence to believe it was malicious and there was
intent," Robinson said, adding that the case will likely be handed over to
the State Attorney's Office. "Right now, it's under investigation."
Robinson said calls come in everyday about abused or neglected animals. Some
cases aren't legitimate and others are just hard to prove without a witness to
the abuse.
Backes, of the animal hospital, said Buddy gulped down food offered to him
when he was first brought in and hasn't stopped eating since, she said.
"There's nothing wrong with his appetite," Backes said, adding that
blood test results for the animal show evidence consistent with starvation.
"He had lost his entire fat layer and had no muscle, either."
The dog also had calluses on his feet, which would indicate he had been
contained in an area with a hard surface, likely a garage or patio.
Ross questioned why the owners didn't bring him to a veterinarian.
"Don't you seek medical attention if your dog doesn't eat?" she
said. "There's so many resources out there that they didn't have to do
this."
On June 26, Buddy was handed over to Ross, who plans to nurse him back to
health, or at least as healthy as he can get.
"When we first saw him, he was just so happy that someone would pet
him," said Ross' daughter, Christine, 16.
On Wednesday afternoon, the two lifted Buddy from his mattress and guided him
to his water bowl. He drank from it furiously.
"He tanks up," Ross said, watching the dog as he stood with his
left leg bent towards his body, a side effect of the malnutrition. "He's
afraid he's not going to get enough water."
But Buddy is doing a bit better. He doesn't need the aid of a sling to
situate him properly so he can go to the bathroom. And after three weeks in the
animal hospital, he's free of intravenous fluids. His eyes are gradually gaining
sight, despite the fact that they're still covered by a cloudy green film.
Ross estimates it will take six months to get Buddy to move around on his
own, which water therapy
should accelerate. In a year, his coat -- now covered with a fungal infection
and numerous calluses from exposure to concrete flooring -- should shine again.
"But he'll never be right," Ross said.
"He can't sit on his butt. This is bone," she said, guiding her
hand along the rear of the dog's body. "It just hurts."
But resting on a baby crib mattress in the Ross' home, Buddy's stubby little
tail could still wiggle.
Even with three other dogs and another rescued dog waiting to be adopted,
Ross can't see herself handing Buddy over to someone else.
"I don't see that this guy would have a chance going anywhere
else," Ross said. "I would be afraid that something like this would
happen again. He trusts us so much, I couldn't just let him go."
