Tag: cocker spaniel

Anguishing woman allowed to have another pet

Sue Austin was devastated after her 15-year-old cocker spaniel died last July. “Katie was my everything,” said Austin. “She was my child.” Austin keeps Katie’s ashes and mementos including pictures and a cocker spaniel figurine on an end table. “I loved her so much,” Austin says.

Austin couldn’t bear the thought being without another dog but her condo association recently banned dogs. Katie was allowed to stay because was grandfathered in. Austin pleaded with them to no avail. She even brought them a written letter from a doctor.

Please allow Ms. Austin to have a pet in her home. . . . A pet will be a valuable source of therapy for her. A new dog will ease loneliness, reduce her stress level, (and) encourage activity and interaction with others. . . . It will serve as a therapy dog for her.

Still, the condo association wouldn’t budge. Or would they? After consulting their attorney the Lexington Ridge Condominium Association decided to allow Austin to have a dog. Austin is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and the comfort of a pet will help alleviate her stress and pain. Austin still has to abide by the association’s rules in order to keep her new pet (i.e. clean up, unruly behavior)

Update: Cocker spaniel left in hot truck dies

The cocker spaniel mentioned in the previous story died. Scotty died early Tuesday morning from heat stroke. A remorseful Jerry Mason said, “He depended on me. I mean I’m supposed to be there for him…yeah I let him down.” Cartersville police asked that the misdemeanor charge be changed to a felony however there was no proof malicious intent. Mason has been released from jail and awaits his court date.

Man arrested after leaving cocker spaniel locked in hot truck

A Georgia man was arrested in Cartersville after leaving his dog locked in the back of a packed U-Haul truck last Monday morning.  While at a gas station, Good Samaritan John Artemis noticed a lifeless cocker spaniel in the back of 50-year-old Jerry Mason’s moving van.  Artemis claims Mason was manhandling the dog who was caught under a chair.  Artemis told Mason to stop hurting the dog but Mason wouldn’t listen so Artemis pushed him away and freed the dog.

Artemis laid the lifeless spaniel on the ground and poured jugs of cold water over him until the dog began to move.  Cartersville police responded to Artemis’ 911 call and arrested Mason for misdemeanor animal cruelty.

Mason claims he only left his cocker spaniel Scotty locked in the truck for a short time: “Well I didn’t think an hour was too long of a time for the dog to be back there.”  Mason was traveling to Kentucky from Savannah, Georgia.  Scotty remains at Bartow County Animal Hospital with heat exhaustion and low blood glucose while Mason is being held at the Bartow County jail.

Cocker spaniel rescued after 2 weeks in Arizona desert

1-year-old Jo Jo
1-year-old Jo Jo

A cocker spaniel/golden retriever mix was found in Scottsdale, Arizona 13 days after running away from home. On June 28th, California resident Darcy Basinger was visiting family in Scottsdale with her 1-year-old cocker mix Jo Jo. She noticed Jo Jo was acting uneasy at the home. That’s when he escaped through a propped open door.

Basinger and her sister had searched for 12 days until they found Jo Jo 2 miles away near a gated community but he was too scared to approach. The next day, Darcy’s sister coaxed him with a squeaky toy and was able to grab him. They brought him to a vet. He was dehydrated, covered with cactus splinters, and lost 10 pounds. Miraculously, Jo Jo was in “shockingly good” condition, said Basinger.

A $5,000 reward for finding Jo Jo will instead be given back to the rescue organizations who posted it. Camp Cocker was one of them and the same rescue Jo Jo was adopted from.

Temperatures in Scottsdale, Arizona reach 100°F during the months of June, July and August.  The highest recorded temperature was 119°F back in 1970.

Cocker spaniel rescued from 100°F car

Sacramento firefighters freed a cocker spaniel from parked car Wednesday afternoon. The owners had left it in the Arden Fair Mall parking lot while they did some shopping. Mall security had checked on the dog several times then called firefighters when the car’s interior reached 100°F. Mall security said the spaniel was in distress. They noticed it “panting and sweating profusely.”

Animal control officer John Sorrels fined the couple $200 dollars for leaving an animal unsupervised in a car. Sorrels said, “They could die, they could get heatstroke. We’ll have to break your window out maybe and take your dog and take it to the vet and you may or may not get it back.”

When the couple learned their dog had been taken by mall security they left without it. The couple later returned for it saying they were embarrassed the first time. The couple claims they took precautions including parking in the shade, cracking the windows, and checking on him every 15 minutes. Even so, mall security chief Steve Reed said, “put a fur coat on and sit in a car that’s a 100 degrees – it’s not gonna be very good for you.”