Letters to Jordan cont.
Thursday, August 19th, 2004
This story is simply horrible. Ignorance is our greatest foe,
education our best friend. Thanks as always to Judith and her
staff at the LVVHS for their continuing efforts. Without them,
our poor animals would be in a world of hurt. To think there
are no laws protecting our pets from this type of abuse is
simply heartbreaking.
Thanks for caring.
John Fredericks
---
Hi John,
Judith Ruiz went and spoke to the owner yesterday. Here is
the e-mail she sent to me about it:
"Thank you, Allison, for your perseverance. Juan, the
man I talked with, said he gave one dog (a neutered male) he
adopted from the Leid shelter to a friend. The remaining dog
is an unspayed female he will not spay. He said he couldn't
do that to a dog. Nothing I said made any difference, not the
number of animals, primarily put bulls at the shelters, etc.,
etc., etc. His response was he would keep all the puppies.
That poor dog chained and lying on the rocks is horrible. Perhaps
it is time to get some media attention.
Judith"
I called the Henderson police again yesterday. The first time
I called, the dispatcher said that the sergeant would go and
look. When I called back, she said that he told her the dog
could reach the food and water. I told her that was not true
(I mean, look at the picture!). She put me on the phone with
him and he basically admitted that he had not gone all the
way up to look. They then said that they would send an officer
out on the graveyard shift to meet me at my home so that I
could take them to the site. I wanted to make sure that they
saw what I did. That was at 10 PM. I waited up all night until
4 AM and an officer never came. I also e-mailed Hector Manzillas
at the department (he is in charge of crime reporting). I e-mailed
him the picture and here is what he said:
"Ms. Lantieri,
 I have received your message and sent it to the Animal Control
Administrator for enforcement action. I will also have my area
supervisors drive by the location and monitor what is happening.
Based on the photograph you sent, it appears as though the
dog is healthy but uncomfortable with both food and water visible
in the image. It also appears as though the chain being shortened
has more to do with the lack of a swivel and not the owner
shortening the chain. I hope to bring some resolution to this
problem by the end of the day as I will be out of the office
for the next two weeks. Thank you for bringing this matter
to my attention.
Captain Hector Mancillas
East Area Command
Henderson Police Department "
At this point all we know is that the trailer is owned by Casey
Development on Horizon Ridge. Nancy is calling around for more
information today. I just can't believe that I can't get the
authorities to get this dog to safety. I would have cut her
loose last night myself and taken her to the shelter, but my
husband is out of town and he would not have liked me doing
that by myself.
Again, thanks so much for your help. I will forward you any
contact info I get as it develops.
Allison
----
Hi all,
This is simply appalling. I think the picture of the banner/logo
pretty much sums up how some people feel about these poor animals.
John Fredericks
---
First, let me start by thanking Judith for stopping to talk
with the pit bulls' owners. I am sorry that he copped a macho
attitude with you, and even sorrier that he doesn't see anything
wrong with the way he is treating these animals.
I stopped by at seven PM to check on them. The black and white
one is gone, collar, chain, everything. The brown one is still
there. He is now chained even more tightly than before, in
fact with both ends of the chain (two feet maybe) fixed to
the underside of the trailer. Tonight, he CAN NOT MOVE AN INCH.
I started crying when I saw him. How is this legal? He can
not reach the water or the food AT ALL. I have enclosed some
pictures. Is this owner retaliating?
I called the Henderson police again and asked the dispatcher
to take down my complaint and asked her to send someone out
if she felt it was appropriate. She said that she would pass
my complaint on to the Sergeant.
I feel so hopeless. I wish I could get more attention on this.
Please continue to help in any way that you can.
Sincerely,
Allison
Friday, July 16th, 2004
"Dear John,
I've enjoyed every moment of your time on Channel 3 since I
moved here last August. I am the Bichon Frise Rescue person
for Nevada (and other western states.) I must say that I am
appalled by the "puppy mill" atmosphere of the "puppy
stores" I've been in. I would like to network with other
animal folks here in Southern Nevada to see what can be done
to educate the public regarding this issue.
I also would l like to be listed on your Shelter and Rescue
links. Please let me know how I go about doing that. I am listed
on the national Bichon Rescue site (http://www.bichonrescue.org)
and have been involved with this breed for many years.
Please let me know how I may be of service and expand your
efforts of education and awareness in our community.
Blessings to you John, for all the love and compassion you
exhibit for our pets. And, by the way, Jordan is a Doll!
Warmest regards,
LaVette J. Columbo"
---
"Thanks for your kind words, LaVette! Yes, the puppy
mill environment in local pet stores IS appalling. The good
news is that News 3 has successfully run several of these operations
out of business. Educating the public is the key.
We'll get your link posted and I'll forward this to my contacts
in the pet community for follow-up!
Kindest regards,
John Fredericks"
Wednesday,
July 14th, 2004
"John Fredericks and Jordan,
First I'd like to say thanks for all you do for the pets in
this community. I wish all pets were as well cared for and
loved as yours and mine. :-)
At one time there was a section on your pet's page where there
were links to various pet product/services for sale. I had
a link on your page about bait bags for training. I wanted
to ask that it be removed, but cannot find it on your pet page
anymore. Please let me know the status of that.
Now I have another question. I would like to know if you could
provide some input for me.
I would like to organize a dog event, and am starting out with
just an idea, high hopes and little practical experience. I
have traveled to California several times for the purpose of
attending Dachshund picnics and Dachshund races. (These are
not to be confused with commercial greyhound racing). The Dachshund
picnic and races are purely for fun with family pets. It is
always quite a sight to see 100+ dachshunds in one place. The
San Diego Dachshund Club puts on two picnics each year, one
being the annual Hallo-Wiener where most of the doxies are
in costume.
Often times, the picnics are held to raise funds for dachshund
rescue. We do not have an active dachshund rescue here, so
any funds raised (if any) could go to one of the shelters,
a charity, or plopped into a fund for the next year.
I would really like to see this become an annual event as it
is in many places around the country. Ideally this could be
held in October so that we could have our very own Las Vegas
Hallo-Wiener. There are actually many dachshunds living in
our fine city, and I really believe this could be a wonderfully
fun event.
If you can help in any way, whether it be simple input, ideas,
hooking me up with someone with the experience in organizing
such things, how to find sponsors, anything help you could
offer would be much appreciated.
Very Sincerely,
El Requa"
---
"Hi there,
I'm going to forward your requests to my contacts here at the
station and in the pet community for follow-up! Keep me posted!
Thanks for your kind words!!!
John Fredericks"
---
"Hi,
Sounds like a fun idea. There are several people listed in
the Vegas Dog magazine who do Dachshund rescue who might be
interested in working with you:
Judy Nelson at junik@ttlv.net
Debbie Champine at 531-8777
Pam Chernov at 531-5567
Kelly Lane at 775-513-2959
There are a lot of Dachshund lovers who take their dogs to
the dog parks as well. You might generate interest among them,
as they seem to network among themselves! Good Luck!
Joey Curtin, Las Vegas Valley Humane Society"
Tuesday, July 13th, 2004
"Dear John,
I am writing because the scariest thing ever happened to me
this weekend. My two dogs were playing as they always do. Somehow
CoCo (Siberian husky) got her teeth and whole bottom jaw caught
up in Keno's (Husky mix) choke chain.
Every time CoCo moved, who was in pain because the chain was
stuck, she choked Keno. Every time Keno moved, she hurt CoCo
worse. They were both crying and scared and thrashing around.
After what seemed an eternity they settled down long enough
to give me just enough slack to slide the chain off of CoCo's
chin and free them both.
I am so happy to say that they are both fine. I was the one
who ended up with the minor injuries (scratches etc.!) After
I hugged them both and pulled myself together I pulled the
choke chains off and threw them away. I will never let them
wear them again, and I will do what I can to share my experience
with people who do let their dogs wear them.
I know it was a fluke accident, and I was very lucky to have
been home to help them. But it all could have been avoided
with just a regular collar. I know you have a very positive
influence on your pet loving viewers. Please do what you can
to share my story, and perhaps we can save a few dogs. Thank
you so much for your time.
Take Care,
Dee Graham"
---
"Hello Dee,
I have spoken on this issue many times. "Choke" collars
are wonderful training devices but should ONLY be used WHEN
THE DOG IS ON A LEASH DURING TRAINING. A choke collar SHOULD
NEVER be used as an "every day" collar for the
reasons you write about.
I'm so happy your dogs are OK. Thanks for sharing.
Kindest regards
John Fredericks"
Wednesday, June 30th, 2004
"Hello John,
I once met you at a dog park on the Northwest side of town:
Rock Springs Drive at Vegas Drive. (We don't go anymore, either.
I remember Jordan was attacked by a big Bull Mastiff or something,
and my dog was attacked by a Boxer.) On the day we met, you
were with Jordan, of course, and I was with my little Miniature
Pinscher, Señor (Spanish for Mister or Sir). We compared
notes about arthritis medications for our senior citizen doggies
and I remember how your face lit up when I told you that you
were the reason why I watch the news on Channel 3: because
any news station that allows people to bring their pets to
work AND allows a dog to be part of the everyday program, was
head & shoulders above the rest. It's a good feeling knowing
that you make every effort to get animals from the shelters
adopted or into foster care. Equally impressive are your daily
attempts at informing pet owners to give them cool water, keep
them out of the sun, away from fireworks, etc. Your daily contribution
is paralleled to any other effort I've ever seen on local television.
You're clearly devoted to the cause and all animals lovers
rank very high with me.
I wanted to bring something to your attention in the hopes
that you can raise an issue concerning our local veterinarians
and shed some light on this subject: pet health care. It's
astronomical. I had my dog's teeth cleaned in September and
it was around $130.00, tops. I thought this was exorbitant.
(Blood work was optional; I didn't get it.) I called the same
clinic yesterday for the same service and the cost is now $250.00,
blood work mandatory. (I asked my mother in Ohio to call the
Vet to inquire about this service: $75.00.) Not willing to
pay the outrageous price, I looked for other nearby clinics.
Even the Dewy Animal Hospital was around $200.00. ($168.00
for the cleaning, $28.00 for a pre-week exam and more for antibiotics.)
Another clinic wanted $323.00, another said it could be as
high as $400.00 ... to clean a dog's teeth!!! It's outrageous
and it should be illegal. I called the State's Veterinarian
Examiner's Board in Reno and although the charges stunned them,
they couldn't do anything about it. They recommended I contact
my State Representative. I will.
Due to this kind of price gouging, I will never have another
furry family member in Las Vegas and I'll give any prospective
owner a major heads-up. It's one thing to charge outrageous
prices for houses made out of chewing gum & paper clips
with no back yard in this valley; homes don't breathe or hurt,
but animals must be cared for. Preventive care, is absolutely
unreasonable. People should be informed of this prior to adopting
animals from the shelter. Many will not even be able to afford
their basic health care; others won't even be able to afford
the drop-off fee to return them, and so they'll turn the poor
animal loose on it's own. If I didn't already own a dog, I
never would have thought to inquire about Las Vegas pet care
at veterinarian clinics. Foolishly, I would have assumed that
prices were reasonable because that's always been my experience
in everyplace else I've lived.
I don't know if you can help, but if you can, I'd be happy
to join you in any way to come to the aid of our beloved animals.
Thanks for your time.
Millicent Bailey"
---
"Hello Millicent,
Thanks for taking the time to write and for your kind words.
As for vet bills? I understand your concern and I will be happy
to post same on our web site. However, I think the broader
issue is whether or not we consider our pets members of the
family and whether or not THEIR costs are out of line with
the cost of raising other "children." Just something
to think about!
Kindest regards always,
John Fredericks"
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