Print Version
Email this story
Comment
Abused dogs find new life in loving homes
Dec. 29, 2006
Three Klamath County dogs taken to a shelter after their owners were charged with animal abuse are now in loving homes thanks to an Oregon pet rescue group.
A blue heeler-Australian shepherd puppy, Jet, was thrown from a pickup and left for dead outside Dorris in September after a Klamath Falls man, Clint Bowen, allegedly kicked him off the bed and the dog struck his head on a dresser.
Another blue heeler, Queenie, bit a boy in May while he was playing with one of her puppies, authorities said. The dog's owner, Jeanine Miller of Chiloquin, was charged with maintaining a dangerous dog.
Later, an animal control officer reportedly witnessed Miller slam the dog's puppy onto the roof of a playhouse, killing it. Queenie and her other living puppy were taken from Miller.
An Albany-based group is making it a mission to save homeless pets like these throughout the state.
Pet Adoption Network members learned of the three dogs when a volunteer told them the animals were taken to the Klamath County Humane Society.
Dog now happy
Linda Watkins, a volunteer for Pet Adoption, picked up Queenie and her puppy and placed them in a Cottage Grove foster home.
When she first saw the dog, she said, Queenie was traumatized and had atrophied rear muscles due to no exercise. Now, the dog is happy, confident and has enough strength to jump and run. She also has a permanent home in the Seattle, area.
“The difference between the dog ... we took in and the dog we placed was just night and day,” Watkins said.
Queenie's pup, named “Dash” because of her exuberant nature, was a little more than three weeks old when she was picked up. She has a home in an Oregon Coast town south of Newport with a family of three and lives near the beach where she gets good exercise.
Rebuilding
Watkins picked up Jet after a couple found him on a dirt road near Dorris and took him to the Klamath County Humane Society. He stayed at a veterinarian's office with a concussion and brain damage. When Watkins first cared for him, he walked in circles because of poor eyesight.
But after being placed in a Vancouver, Wash., foster home, he's faring better. One week old at the time of abuse, he has grown and learned, with a little help from his foster family, to walk and run in a straight line.
“It's like humans with brain damage. You have to rebuild and regrow some of those functions - and that's what's happened with him,” Watkins said.
Jet, named for the way he leaps from couches, still “bounces” around in a circle when he plays, Watkins said.
Emotionally, all three pups are well adjusted, although Watkins said Queenie will probably always be a bit cautious.
“You know dogs are like people, they can be incredibly resilient,” she said. “If you treat them with love and kindness that is exactly what they'll repay you with.”
Jet still needs a permanent home. For more information, visit www.pet
finder.com.
- Laura McVicker
Three Klamath County dogs taken to a shelter after their owners were charged with animal abuse are now in loving homes thanks to an Oregon pet rescue group.
A blue heeler-Australian shepherd puppy, Jet, was thrown from a pickup and left for dead outside Dorris in September after a Klamath Falls man, Clint Bowen, allegedly kicked him off the bed and the dog struck his head on a dresser.
Another blue heeler, Queenie, bit a boy in May while he was playing with one of her puppies, authorities said. The dog's owner, Jeanine Miller of Chiloquin, was charged with maintaining a dangerous dog.
Later, an animal control officer reportedly witnessed Miller slam the dog's puppy onto the roof of a playhouse, killing it. Queenie and her other living puppy were taken from Miller.
An Albany-based group is making it a mission to save homeless pets like these throughout the state.
Pet Adoption Network members learned of the three dogs when a volunteer told them the animals were taken to the Klamath County Humane Society.
Dog now happy
Linda Watkins, a volunteer for Pet Adoption, picked up Queenie and her puppy and placed them in a Cottage Grove foster home.
When she first saw the dog, she said, Queenie was traumatized and had atrophied rear muscles due to no exercise. Now, the dog is happy, confident and has enough strength to jump and run. She also has a permanent home in the Seattle, area.
“The difference between the dog ... we took in and the dog we placed was just night and day,” Watkins said.
Queenie's pup, named “Dash” because of her exuberant nature, was a little more than three weeks old when she was picked up. She has a home in an Oregon Coast town south of Newport with a family of three and lives near the beach where she gets good exercise.
Rebuilding
Watkins picked up Jet after a couple found him on a dirt road near Dorris and took him to the Klamath County Humane Society. He stayed at a veterinarian's office with a concussion and brain damage. When Watkins first cared for him, he walked in circles because of poor eyesight.
But after being placed in a Vancouver, Wash., foster home, he's faring better. One week old at the time of abuse, he has grown and learned, with a little help from his foster family, to walk and run in a straight line.
“It's like humans with brain damage. You have to rebuild and regrow some of those functions - and that's what's happened with him,” Watkins said.
Jet, named for the way he leaps from couches, still “bounces” around in a circle when he plays, Watkins said.
Emotionally, all three pups are well adjusted, although Watkins said Queenie will probably always be a bit cautious.
“You know dogs are like people, they can be incredibly resilient,” she said. “If you treat them with love and kindness that is exactly what they'll repay you with.”
Jet still needs a permanent home. For more information, visit www.pet
finder.com.
- Laura McVicker
 |
||
| Grocery store celebrates opening |
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of HeraldAndNews.com. Comment Disclaimer: The editors of heraldandnews.com reserve the right to refuse publication of any comment posted for consideration. We may refuse for any reason, including use of profanity, disparaging comments, libelous comments, etc. Any reader who notices a comment they believe is particularly offensive, should notify us at webmaster@heraldandnews.com.
phillip wrote on Feb 1, 2009 1:43 AM:
" I'm looking for 100+ acreas of land with anual running water, stream, etc, with tree's, as forested as posible, am going to build a cabin for me to retire, thank you. "
Stephanie Patterson Southwell wrote on Oct 4, 2008 6:19 PM:
" I came across this article and find it very interesting. My grandad was the "Southwell" in Southwell & Stilwell :) My dad and uncles were raised in Klamath Falls until they moved to the Portland area. "
Margaret wrote on Apr 29, 2008 11:19 AM:
" It appears the two negative reader comments are associated with the wrong article, as they do not seem to relate. It's unfortunate they are appearing after reading such a nice article about this concert. "
RSS
skii v. wrote on Jun 26, 2009 12:51 AM: