Miss Arkansas

This is a sad story about a little Lethal White from Arkansas. We were contacted to help in her rescue, and through networking with some other great (lethal white) rescues, we did have a safe place for her to go...but she never made it out of the kill shelter. Here's her story (unedited)...from beginning to end.

8/21/03 This is an email from a fellow shelter volunteer in Arkansas...I'll coordinate transportation to almost anywhere in the USA if we can find her a place to go to. Please respond to Kelly at kalamityKate @ comcast.net as she has access to the dog, I don't.

Hi! I went to the local shelter today to get pictures and they have a CUTE white Aussie pup with a little red merle spot here and there that is most definitely blind and seems deaf or mostly deaf. The shelter workers got a call on her because of her condition and being chained outside to a tree, her eyes are in bad shape. They've either shrunken down to nothing, or she was born that way, and she has a green discharge. The owner came in while we were there to pick her up, but happened to slip that she had 10 animals and city limits is 4. So the ACO talked her into surrendering the puppy to the shelter. The owners said they got it from a breeder who bred merle to merle (I'd like to know who this "breeder" was!!!), but she's supposedly purebred and she does look it. I would guess she's about four months old.

She's VERY sweet! I fostered a partially blind Cocker Puppy and he would have nabbed you in a heartbeat if you startled him. This girl doesn't act jumpy at all. She was a little nervous when we first took her out on a leash and walked in circles, but after we had her out for a few minutes and played with her she settled down and walked better. She likes to just lay and get petted though. She just walks around sniffing and checking things out, but when she smells you she gets excited and starts wiggling, kissing and jumping up. She's a friendly little girl.

She is in a kill shelter so I told them I would contact both of you and if we couldn't get her help in a few days they could arrange to have her put to sleep. We wanted to give her a chance, but the shelter nor I have the means to place her properly and it's not fair on her. She's already been through two irresponsible homes and doesn't need another one. I've attached some pictures of her, please let me know if you have room for this girl, or know someone else that might be able to help. We're willing to drive her.

8/23/03 Hi everyone. I found out today that the shelter euthanized the white Aussie Pup. When the owners surrendered her they said she had bloody diarrhea but she had a bowel movement just after they left and it was normal. The shelter workers said they went in in the morning and she had bloody diarrhea everywhere, she also kept tipping her water bowl over and staying wet so she was shivering constantly, and she constantly walked in circles running into the walls, so they put her to sleep. I'm sorry! Thank you all for trying so hard to help her.

--Kelly

Miss Arkansas: We wish you peace in your new life! We hope your eyes can now see the faces of all that did love you (the ones who tried to save you) and those that would have loved you; may your ears finally hear the "good girl" and "I love you" that you should have be able to hear right from the start. Now there are no more chains and only straight paths in which to run freely, instead of the "circles" you were forced to endure because of human ignorance and greed. May your needless death open the door to compassion and understanding for many others in your situation. And we can only hope that your story will prevent more like you from being born. You are safe now, never to endure the abuse and abandonment you've known all your short life.