UPDATE 5/18/08 on the 19 Seeley Collies Rescued in Upstate NY
Statement by AWCA President Jean Levitt
The following was provided by a “concerned reader” of the AWCA report on the Seeley Collies still held at the SPCA of Upstate NY.
What Happened To My Pet?
by
A Concerned Reader
All of us dread the possibility of a dog or cat getting away. Some people have experienced the agony of a lost pet, never found alive or dead. The question remains: “What happened to my friend?” “Did my companion die quickly?” “.... die a prolonged death from starvation and/or injury?” “… get taken in by a new family?” The questioning never really ends. The emotions never fully resolve.
Similar is this situation with the Collie known as “the old gentleman”, once held in the Queensbury SPCA shelter. As a reader of the reports placed on this website each week, I cannot help but feel the same sense of unease about this dog. What was his eventual fate?
We can all accept the death of an old cat or dog whose body can no longer function. It is so much harder to lay to rest feelings of unease and grief about the old gentleman. Did he die? …comforted by veterinary/hospital staff? ….eased by pain meds? ... alone in a cage?
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Folks, we may never know if the old gentleman did indeed drown in his own fluids because he could not get off his chest in the crate where he was held for so long at the SPCA. According to an SPCA worker he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and taken to a particular veterinary hospital for permanent medical boarding. I called that veterinary hospital to inquire about him and to pay his bill. The veterinary staff did not know anything about the matter.
There are still Collies held at the SPCA of Upstate New York, in crates in the attic. It has been 215 days.
Calmly,
Jean Levitt
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