Abandoned Pets: A Personal Story

“My name is Tracyann and I am the director for PETS 911. I don’t usually write “emotionally” on our site, but I wanted to share my story. And, trust me, this was edited down from its original version!

I seem to attract stray dogs like a moth to a light! Stray pets break my heart. However, nothing broke my heart like an abandoned little pit bull at the dog park last Saturday. I guess this is a big trend among irresponsible pet owners. Don’t want your pet? Drop it off at a dog park.

I implore you… if you’ve exhausted all other possibilities; have the decency to turn your dog in at the proper facility. You may have to look someone in the eye to do it and it may cost you a few bucks but at least you are doing it the right way. Besides, there were a lot of dogs and owners at the park that day…what if no one had noticed the dog was abandoned? How long would it have been there with no food in the cold before someone noticed?

Our youngest dog is a rescue. She was dumped in the desert and left to die. Luckily, she was rescued but was down to 27 lbs and had Valley Fever (a potentially fatal disease in the southwest). She now weighs a very healthy 52 lbs and is Valley-Fever free after 18 months of being with us. She is, however, still afraid of most other dogs. We took her for her first trip to the dog park to see how she would do (she did great!). This was Saturday. As soon as we got in the gate, a woman approached us about this small black pit bull that had been there for an hour with no one at the park claiming it. I started to watch it and realized it was trying to get out of the park when someone came in. She was standing by the fence and was just barking little sad barks. After asking others at the park if the dog was theirs and finding no owner, I called county animal control.

My husband & I waited for an hour and half with her but had to leave. Now, I feel like she was being abandoned all over again. Thankfully, a couple with another pit were going to keep an eye out for county and on her. My husband found a posted note at the park that had her picture and “Free to a good home” with a phone number. I’d love to publish the phone number here, but these people aren’t worth your cell phone minutes. I certainly didn’t want the dog back with them but I was sure hoping they could get fined for animal cruelty.

She is a great dog from what I can tell. We were there for almost 2 hours and she was fine with all the dogs, adults and kids there. My husband put her on a leash to see if she would calm down a bit (she just seemed distressed at being left) and she was fine. She was very submissive to the other pit bull that the couple owned too. She seems like a sweet thing that just needs a second chance.

I have been in touch with County about this little girl. She is terrified at the shelter and her stray period is up. They emailed me to see if I could get someone to adopt her or a rescue to take her. She’s a pit bull…this is tough.

I’d like to thank the previous owners of this pit bull for making me responsible for their pet along with the other dog owners at the park along with my staff here at PETS 911. When you spend a couple of hours with a confused, scared dog, it becomes personal. So, to the “owners”, I ask:

• How long was your dog at the park by itself?
• Did you know it was 35 degrees in Phoenix that morning?
• What if no one had noticed your dog was abandoned? How long would she have been there with no food in the cold?
• Did you know that your “Free to a good home” ad could have led to her being fought? Or, if she wouldn’t fight, being used as bait? Or, used for medical research?

Thankfully, people do care… People who work at our shelters and rescues and experience these stories everyday. People who get involved and try to do what’s right. People who are responsible and take care of their pets. Please continue to help animals like this pit bull that are lost or abandoned. You may be their only hope.

So, how does the story end? What happened to my little abandoned girl? Only time will tell and time is not on her side.”