Would YOU Return this dog to its owners?

[DawnCt1]

I saw this family, the rescuer and the dog on Fox News this morning. The dog, hit by a car a few days earlier fell down a mine shaft. The owners called "Rescue", but most state run rescue agencies do not rescue animals. Rather than take it a step further and find another way to rescue the dog, they decided to have it shot. The dog was shot by a friend who fortunately was not a good shot. Saddened, the family that had their dog shot, stood around the mine shaft, had a funeral and called it a day. Fortunately for the dog, Cally, campers with no particular expertise found the dog that had survived for 10 days without food, water and with gun shot wounds, rescued this dog.This is the only detailed print story I can find this early, but I agree with the writer at the end of this article. This family does NOT deserve to have the dog returned to them, no matter how heartbroken they claimed to have been. The rescuers should have had first right of refusal and Cally should have gone to a better home.
http://thek9guy.com/dog_blog/blog1.php/2009/06/09/dog-saved-from-mine-shaft
Dog Breeding and Pedigrees 101 »
Dog Saved From Mine Shaft
06/09/09 16:47 , Categories: Dogs in the News
This dog was rescued by some brave souls that were hiking by and found the dog at the bottom of a Nevada mine shaft. I found it interesting the owners knew the dog had fallen down the shaft, and sent a friend to shoot the dog thinking it was badly injured. Luckily the friend was a bad shot and missed the dog. Also, the dog had been hit by a car a few days before this incident.

The rescuers were warned by local rescue agencies to stay out of the mine as it was not safe. Given the risks they took, I'm not sure I would have returned the dog to a family. Under the family's care this poor dog was hit by a car, lost down a mine shaft, and shot at all in one week.

 

[happygirl]

It's a sad story. I think the owners of the dog did everything in there power to save the dog. They called someone to help rescue it. They thought they dog was seriously injured they didn't want it to suffer.So they tried to put it out of it's misery, There is no way I would have went down in that shaft either.

 

[monkey68]

I think there are too few details. How did the dog get hit by a car and how did he get into the mine shaft in the first place? Accidents happen, even to people's kids, so I don't think it's fair to say they don't deserve the dog without knowing the full story. And if the dog was able to go exploring and end up in a mine shaft, he probably wasn't that seriously injured from being hit by a car. The family did what they could in calling rescue. The rescue people told them not to go into the shaft because it was dangerous. What were they supposed to do? They thought the dog was dead. And if they went down into the shaft after they were told not to, and then they got stuck or hurt, people would probably be calling them idiots for not listening when they were told it was dangerous.

 

[starwood]

They should be prosecuted for animal cruelty. No way this animal should be returned to them. If it was my dog I would not give up until the animal was safe.

 

[DawnCt1]

I think there are too few details. How did the dog get hit by a car and how did he get into the mine shaft in the first place? Accidents happen, even to people's kids, so I don't think it's fair to say they don't deserve the dog without knowing the full story. And if the dog was able to go exploring and end up in a mine shaft, he probably wasn't that seriously injured from being hit by a car. The family did what they could in calling rescue. The rescue people told them not to go into the shaft because it was dangerous. What were they supposed to do? They thought the dog was dead. And if they went down into the shaft after they were told not to, and then they got stuck or hurt, people would probably be calling them idiots for not listening when they were told it was dangerous.

I can see that point of view. On the other hand, how did the campers know that the dog was alive in the shaft? They must have heard it crying. You would think that the family would have gone back to check at some point.

 

[happygirl]

I can see that point of view. On the other hand, how did the campers know that the dog was alive in the shaft? They must have heard it crying. You would think that the family would have gone back to check at some point.

After they thought the dog was dead. Why would they go back??

 

[Kim&Chris]

For surviving all of that, poor Cally deserves to be living in Trump Tower now. Poor thing.

 

[Kim&Chris]

After they thought the dog was dead. Why would they go back??

Clearly they never knew for certain if the dog was, or wasn't, dead. As a previous poster said, if this dog was whimpering after 10 days without food and water, and the campers could HEAR her doing this, I'd be hard pressed to believe the family couldn't hear her doing the same.

 

[monkey68]

I can see that point of view. On the other hand, how did the campers know that the dog was alive in the shaft? They must have heard it crying. You would think that the family would have gone back to check at some point.

Why would they check if they thought it was dead? It probably wasn't crying after it was shot, maybe he was too stunned or lost conciousness.

Also, wasn't there a case quite a while ago, maybe like 20 years ago or something, about a 1 or 2 year old who fell down not a mine shaft, but a tube thing, and got stuck? Anyone know what I'm talking about? I remember it being quite famous, only because I read a kids book about it a few years later which is the only way I know about it. Not sure if it was a well tube or something, but somehow, she fell in, and got stuck. Rescue got her out. Were people saying they should call CPS because she fell down a hole and her parent's weren't watching her closely enough? She wasn't taken away from her parents. So why insist that the dog be taken away from his family?

 

[DawnCt1]

Why would they check if they thought it was dead? It probably wasn't crying after it was shot, maybe he was too stunned or lost conciousness.

Also, wasn't there a case quite a while ago, maybe like 20 years ago or something, about a 1 or 2 year old who fell down not a mine shaft, but a tube thing, and got stuck? Anyone know what I'm talking about? I remember it being quite famous, only because I read a kids book about it a few years later which is the only way I know about it. Not sure if it was a well tube or something, but somehow, she fell in, and got stuck. Rescue got her out. Were people saying they should call CPS because she fell down a hole and her parent's weren't watching her closely enough? She wasn't taken away from her parents. So why insist that the dog be taken away from his family?

I am not holding the couple responsible for the dog falling into the mine shaft; 'dogs will be dogs', and maybe I am personalizing this too much, but if it were my dog, I would have gone back at least 3 or 4 times to be sure. I would have called a private company that rescues dogs. Most fire departments to not 'get cats out of trees', so to call a public company was futile. I would have gone to the media. What television outlet doesn't love a human interest story; "Dog trapped in mine, owners at a loss". They would have had people pouring out of the woodwork. Even if no one responded, they would have done what they could. I don't know who had the 'authority' to insist that the dog be removed, but if it were my dog, I would have been so ashamed by not doing enough, by having someone shoot at it, by not going back to check if it were alive, by not sending food and water down the shaft, that I would have said, "I don't deserve this dog, do you want her".

 

[TinkerbEllnor]

Given the limited information, I don't necessarily fault the owners for their actions- they did what they thought was the humane thing to do. (If they knowingly left the dog alive, my opinion changes)

However, IMO, the people who rescued the dog now own it. If they don't want to keep it, it is their choice where it goes next. Either to a new home or back to the original owners, if they see fit. The original family lost its claim on the dog when they left it in the hole, as much as if they dropped it off at a shelter to be euthanized.

 

[DawnCt1]

Given the limited information, I don't necessarily fault the owners for their actions- they did what they thought was the humane thing to do. (If they knowingly left the dog alive, my opinion changes)

However, IMO, the people who rescued the dog now own it. If they don't want to keep it, it is their choice where it goes next. Either to a new home or back to the original owners, if they see fit. The original family lost its claim on the dog when they left it in the hole, as much as if they dropped it off at a shelter to be euthanized.

I agree and your take on it is direct and to the point.

 

[monkey68]

Given the limited information, I don't necessarily fault the owners for their actions- they did what they thought was the humane thing to do. (If they knowingly left the dog alive, my opinion changes)

However, IMO, the people who rescued the dog now own it. If they don't want to keep it, it is their choice where it goes next. Either to a new home or back to the original owners, if they see fit. The original family lost its claim on the dog when they left it in the hole, as much as if they dropped it off at a shelter to be euthanized.

But they left it in the hole because they thought it was dead. In my mind, that's different than leaving it in a shelter. They didn't do it willingly. They did what they could do. Maybe they didn't know there are groups willing to rescue animals if the local fire department won't do it. Maybe they were in so much shock, they didn't think of calling the media. What were they supposed to do? They didn't know they had other options, so they did the most humane thing and that was to put the dog out of it's misery, they didn't know the friend had a bad shot.

By bringing the dog to a shelter, they lose the right to the dog. By doing what they could do to save the dog (calling rescue) and then being told they won't do non human rescues, they did probably all they could think to do. I know if it were my dog, I wouldn't know what else to do besides call 911, and if 911 wouldn't help me, I wouldn't know what else to do. For all we know, the shot may have knocked the dog out, so he wasn't making any noise, and they honestly thought it was dead.

Now I agree with you that if they knowingly left the dog alive, that's animal cruelty and my opinion will change, of course. But from the limited details we've been given, there's too many "what ifs".

 

[Plantlady]

Also, wasn't there a case quite a while ago, maybe like 20 years ago or something, about a 1 or 2 year old who fell down not a mine shaft, but a tube thing, and got stuck? Anyone know what I'm talking about? I remember it being quite famous, only because I read a kids book about it a few years later which is the only way I know about it. Not sure if it was a well tube or something, but somehow, she fell in, and got stuck. Rescue got her out. Were people saying they should call CPS because she fell down a hole and her parent's weren't watching her closely enough? She wasn't taken away from her parents. So why insist that the dog be taken away from his family?

That was Baby Jessica.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_McClure

 

[pweyl36]

It's a sad story. I think the owners of the dog did everything in there power to save the dog. They called someone to help rescue it. They thought they dog was seriously injured they didn't want it to suffer.So they tried to put it out of it's misery, There is no way I would have went down in that shaft either.

You must not be a true animal lover,because I would have done any and everything in my power to get my dog.

 

[laurie31]

Why would they check if they thought it was dead? It probably wasn't crying after it was shot, maybe he was too stunned or lost conciousness.

Also, wasn't there a case quite a while ago, maybe like 20 years ago or something, about a 1 or 2 year old who fell down not a mine shaft, but a tube thing, and got stuck? Anyone know what I'm talking about? I remember it being quite famous, only because I read a kids book about it a few years later which is the only way I know about it. Not sure if it was a well tube or something, but somehow, she fell in, and got stuck. Rescue got her out. Were people saying they should call CPS because she fell down a hole and her parent's weren't watching her closely enough? She wasn't taken away from her parents. So why insist that the dog be taken away from his family?

Jessica McClure. You can google her. It was big news, even internationally.

However, her parents didn't give up trying to find someone to get her out, and just have her shot... (also, the hole was on their property but they didn't know it was there. They weren't neglectful.)

(and while she is now married with a child of her own, her parents divorced when she was young, and one of her rescuers committed suicide due to PTSD)

I think the dog's owners didn't do enough to try to rescue the dog. I would have done a lot more than they did before giving up.

 

[happygirl]

You must not be a true animal lover,because I would have done any and everything in my power to get my dog.

That is quite the opposite. They were told not to go in there it was unsafe, I love animals but I love myself and my family more.

 

[swald91]

I don't think I would have left without my dog, dead or alive. I agree I would have called someone to help. I'm not sure I would know where to start as far as contacting outside help but I would try. How sad. The story at the ebd said it was hit by a car but was that AFTER everything it had been through or before the mine shaft drop??

 

[DawnCt1]

I don't think I would have left without my dog, dead or alive. I agree I would have called someone to help. I'm not sure I would know where to start as far as contacting outside help but I would try. How sad. The story at the ebd said it was hit by a car but was that AFTER everything it had been through or before the mine shaft drop??

It was hit by the car first, I think a few days before, fell down the mine shaft, shot by its owners' direction, left for dead, starved of food and water for 10 days. What a will to live!

 

[swald91]

It was hit by the car first, I think a few days before, fell down the mine shaft, shot by its owners' direction, left for dead, starved of food and water for 10 days. What a will to live!

Ahhh, gotcha! Poor thing. I'm not a huge fan of labs, but I'd take him. He'd get along great with my english bulldog & shih-tzu (& 2 cats, a bird & fish......)