 | CHESTER: German Shepherd, 5+ years old Black back & head; Brown legs Right front leg crippled Lost in the Espy area mid-December; Last seen lower end of Berwick (12/20) (MAP) He's dragging his purple leash behind him, still attached to his collar. Chester is VERY timid/shy. He responds only to very calm voices, and MAY come for a treat. If you have seen this dog, Thank you so much! |
Basket Bingo winners
 |  |  |  |
Everyone had a good time at the basket bingo and Chinese auction held Sept. 17 at the Bloomsburg Fire Co. All the proceeds go to the no-kill shelter, which runs solely on donations. The event featured lunch, refreshments and a bake sale.
| ||||||||
From: Tammy Grimes
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2006 8:59 PM
Subject: Grimes Jailed for Rescuing Dying Chained Dog
OK, everyone, if you're getting this e-mail it means the police followed through on their threat to put me in jail for taking Doogie today.
Here is the background info:
We got a call from Kim in East Freedom this morning, crying because Doogie hadn't gotten up since Saturday. She had been calling the Central Pennsylvania Humane Society since Saturday to no avail. We told her we aren't law officers, and she needed to call the humane officer. Then we got another call about the same dog, from another person who passes him every day. At that point we called Kim back to see if she'd heard from the Humane Officer. She had not, so we promised her we'd go out and see what we could do.
When we got there, we took photos and video of Doogie. We initially thought he was dead, as he was not moving and his back was to us. We found out that the people were not home to talk to about him, so I made the decision that he could not lay there on the cold wet ground for one moment longer, and I would accept all consequences of my decision. The neighbor Kim has agreed to testify on my behalf if necessary. She cried the whole time we were there, you can hear her on the video.
I think once you see the video and pictures, you'll understand why I made this decision. The vet documented his general negligent condition, low weight, sores, missing fur, and took xrays of his back and hips. He determined that he has very bad back spurs that are causing him a lot of pain and are most likely responsible for his inability to walk. He also saw an undetermined mass near his hip on the xray. He gave him a shot for pain plus some B vitamins for energy, so that perhaps he could have even one good day or a few good hours. He wrote a letter stating his condition in case we needed it.
Shortly after we got Doogie to my home, situated, bathed (had to, the stench was too bad), and fed and watered an Officer Flag called from the Freedom Township Police Department (I know, Freedom, isn't that ironic?). He wanted me to return Doogie, which I refused to do.
Here's what I need from you all. View the videos and photos, below. I think you'll agree with me that this is NOT acceptable in ANY kind of humane society, and we cannot allow this kind of animal abuse. We MUST stand up and STOP accepting this to be ok for people to do to their dogs, and STOP jailing those who are trying to help them.
I could never look myself in the eye again, much less sleep tonight, had I left Doogie there dying, shivering in the dirt. I will spend the rest of my life in jail as opposed to handing him over to be abused further by these people. Please, contact ALL media with these photos and videos. Get justice, for Doogie and for me. Do NOT allow this treatment of those who are here to help, and who actually care. Call the Pennsylvania Humane Society and tell them you expect them to stand with me against this kind of abuse.
 MILES has some kids to play with now! |  DAMIEN got a new family! |  SOCKS got a new family! |
 SUNNY got a new family! |  Stuart and JAKE enjoyed the sun on Saturday, but Jake still needs a family to love him forever. |  SULLY got his new family on Aug 19. |
| | If you are unable to give a pet a new home, |
Feline endures injury and earns several names after its escape
 |
Press Enterprise/M.J. McDonald |
By BREANNA BARSKI
Press Enterprise Writer
BERWICK — Corrine Matash's cat weathered enough adventures in seven weeks to last all her nine lives. Starting as a stray, the cat found a home, went missing, got hurt, lived on the street, landed another home and then — thanks to a veterinary worker's sharp memory — ended up safe and cozy with Matash again.
Along the way, the cat had three names. But she started out as Liza.
Matash's daughter had found the stray cat last year, and Matash took her in. In late December, when Liza was about 8 months old, Matash took her to be spayed at the Berwick Veterinary Care Center on Bowers Road.
"The day that it was done they said that she was doing fine," said Matash. "The next morning I got a phone call that the cat was gone."
On Dec. 28, a report of a gas leak at the veterinary center brought firefighters, who took the animals out of the building. But Liza bolted away during the evacuation.
For the next two weeks, Matash and family looked for her, put an ad in the newspaper and posted flyers. They had no luck. The winter weather was bad, and no one had seen Liza. The search ended.
Liza's next life
More than a month had gone by when Michelle Waltman and her daughter, Emma Colone, 2, began to notice a cat outside their home on East Sixth Street, 10 blocks from the vet's office.
"I kept seeing this kitten limping around. It was scared of us," said Waltman. "After I'd seen it for two or three days, I decided to feed it. It was scared of us, but it ate."
Waltman fed the cat for a few days. Eventually it warmed up to her and her daughter and let them pet it. Waltman called the no-kill animal rescue shelter. "They could take in the kitten in a few days, but they wanted me to catch it and take it into the house to keep it out of the cold."
Emma named the cat Meow Meow. She stayed with them for four days. On a Sunday afternoon, Sharon Yasneski from the Animal Resource Center came to pick up the cat.
"She was very, very sweet and very tiny," recalled Yasneski. "She appeared to have a dislocated hip. She was such a dear little thing, and my husband and I knew that nobody wants an animal with a disability, so we had said that we would take her.
"We called her Dora the Explora because she didn't let the hip keep her down. She explored every part of the house."
The strangest part
The next afternoon, Yasneski took the kitten to the vet. Usually, if she's dealing with an animal for the Animal Resource Center, she takes it to a vet in Bloomsburg. But she decided to take Dora to her own vet instead — Berwick Veterinary Care Center, the scene of the cat getaway in December. The doctor did a workup on Dora. She appeared to be healthy, except for the limp.
"I asked about having the hip looked after. He said it would be a matter of X-rays. It would probably be about $100," said Yasneski. "My husband and I decided to pay for it instead of asking the Animal Resource Center. So the next morning we took her back."
A different technician and doctor were working that day. The technician opened the cage, and the last part of the cat's story fell into place. The tech recognized her. Emma Colone's Meow Meow and Yasneski's Dora the Explora was really Liza, the escapee from seven weeks earlier.
"The ironic thing is, if I hadn't taken her to my vet here in Berwick, she would have never been returned to her owners," said Yasneski.
Later on the afternoon of Feb. 14 — Valentine's Day — Liza was reunited with the Matash family.
"She was just getting used to the house when we lost her, and when we brought her home it was like she had never left," recalled Matash. "She's a little survivor."
This story appeared in the August 18 edition of the Bloomsburg Press-Enterprise newspaper.
