After several years of working with rescue groups across the country, I realized I needed to take a break from the daily drama of so many needy, homeless animals. One day as I was walking by a neighborhood message center, a
flyer caught my eye. As I stopped to read the poster, it jogged my memory about a news story I had heard in passing several weeks before. A dog had been dragged behind a truck, and after the rope slipped from his neck, he was pulled to safety by a woman following the truck. Battling for his life, the pup was taken to a nearby veterinary hospital. The
flyer was posted by a local rescue group trying to raise funds to pay for his spiraling veterinary care. At first I thought, 'no, I'm not going to get involved', and then I thought 'there's no way I can't get involved'. This is another one of the it-takes-a-village-type stories.
Nicknamed "Sparky", for his ineffable personality and indomitable will to live, this plucky pup became a frequent news item in the local media. Because of the severity of his wounds, every day was a struggle between life and death. He would not be out of the woods for some time, so a web site kept everyone updated on his day-to-day progress between news stories. A very generous patron even donated a billboard near where the incident happened, in the hopes that whoever did this could be brought to justice.
The veterinary clinic, where Sparky spent many months in recovery, thought that he would need skin grafts to close the largest wounds. Sparky surprised everyone when the wounds healed on their own, and he was pronounced fit for adoption. There was no shortage of people who wanted to give the little guy a home. After an exhaustive review of potential adopters, Sparky rode off with his new owner.
Sparky became the official
spokesdog for Atlanta Pet Rescue, which sponsored his rescue and recovery. His new owner attended their annual fundraiser, where Sparky was the focal point of the event. An artist had donated a painting of Sparky in his festive surgical socks. I bid well beyond my budget on the painting. I figured if I couldn't have Sparky, at least I'd have his painting. My bid was left in the dust as the bidding quickly accelerated to a winning bid of $5,000. The winner, as he was accepting his prize, called
Sparky's new owner up to the stage and presented the painting to him. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.
Some would question why so much money and effort was spent on one dog when there are so many other needy pets. Sparky is the poster dog for all those other less fortunate animals, and he has helped build awareness of the need to take a firm stand against animal cruelty and prosecute those responsible.
June - August 2006
