|
|
 |
| Friday,
April 12, 2002 The Boy Who Did the
Right Thing
|
|
|
OAKLAND, CA (USA) — In early January,
the shocking story about Theo, the puppy that was forced to fight,
beaten and then set on fire by three youths in Oakland made headlines.
Unfortunately, there are many other dogs that are horribly abused and
neglected who don’t make the news. Fortunately, there are kind and
caring souls like 13-year-old Chad Boyd who rescued Theo’s street
mate, Tigger.
Chad would often walk by the abandoned yard
|
Pictured (left to right) Hopalong Animal Rescue volunteer Laura
Nicodemus with Tigger, Chad Boyd and Tondalaya Burgess, who rescued
Tigger.
|
|
|
where Theo and Tigger were kept. Feeling sorry for the puppies, he would often feed them
scraps on his way to school. “I noticed that Chad was taking food
from the house,” said his mother, Tondalya Burgess, “I asked him
what he was doing and he told me about these poor puppies.” Chad
took his mother to the puppies and she was shocked to see their less
than desirable living conditions.
“They were so skinny…all bones.
It was just terrible,” remembers Tondalaya.
They continued to feed
the neglected pups and bring them water. Chad pleaded with his mother
to bring the puppies home, but they didn’t know who owned the pups
and already had one dog who didn’t like other animals in their small
home.
One afternoon Chad came home in tears and told his mother that
several boys were kicking one of the pups. When Tondalaya went to
investigate, she found Tigger badly beaten. “I just couldn’t leave
her like that, so I took her home.”
They nursed Tigger back to health. But they had to keep her
in their bathroom, away from their other dog. Unable to permanently keep
both animals, Tondalaya and Chad reluctantly took Tigger to the shelter.
Hopalong volunteer Laura Nicodemus was told of the dog’s plight and
connection to Theo.
|
Through Theo’s unfortunate fame, Hopalong and Scoop
reporter Kathy Ryan launched a media campaign to raise awareness
of the plight of Tigger and Theo, as well as Rosie, the other puppy that
was forced to fight Theo. Donations towards the three puppies were
solicited to cover their $1,200 in medical expenses and behavioral
training. The media embraced the story and helped in the search for
potential adopters who could provide the puppies with appropriate training
and homes.
Due to a lack of education and responsible pet ownership Theo, Tigger
and Rosie suffered from abuse and neglect that stray dogs are commonly
subjected to. Hopalong hopes to reach out to young children about dog
safety and humane treatment through its Kids Interacting with Dogs Safely
(KIDS) Program. But until we can raise the funds to bring this important
program into the schools, we hope that there will be more kind-hearted
citizens and role models like Chad.
For more information about supporting humane education or donating
money to help dogs like Theo, Tigger and Rosie, call Hopalong Animal
Rescue at (510) 530-5154.
To continue the fight to save the puppies from fighting, Kathy Ryan
asks that you please continue your emails to Jerry Brown, mayor of
Oakland, CA reminding him of the need for more education and help for the
animals. That email address is: officeofthemayor@oaklandnet.com
§§§
Headlines
Prev  Next
|
|
|
|
