Dog Bearing Heartbreaking Note From Child Finds a Home

Mr B, who found a new home thanks to the unselfish love of a child (Credit for all photos in this post: king5.com):

When a King Charles Cavalier spaniel wandered into Paul Wu’s driveway and wouldn’t leave, the Kirkland, Wash., resident got out of his car to inspect the little dog more closely.

He found a red, bone-shaped container attached to the dog’s collar. On the container was the hand-scrawled word, “OPEN.” So he did.

Inside he found a note and some money. The note, hand-written on lined yellow paper, read:

Please take care of Mr. B. He is a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel. Six years old. My parents got divorced and Mr. B was supposed to go to the pound. I think he has a better chance with you.  This is my birthday money for any of his care. He is used to kids, not other dogs.  He’s a good boy.  I know God will take care of Mr. B – Everyone loves him…especially me. Thank you.”

Wu was very touched by the note, and didn’t want to leave the dog on his own, so he brought him to work with him. There, coworker Robert Kuchcinski, who has three children, decided to lend a hand. He brought Mr. B home after work, and took him to the vet’s. The tagless dog had no microchip, but got a relatively clean bill of health. (He looks well fed.)

Kuchcinski’s family fell fast for Mr. B. They’ll be keeping him.

“I’d hate to be a kid making that choice,” Kuchcinski said. “It didn’t seem right that it would go to the pound.” (Yes, he’s calling him ‘it,’ but he’s a new dog owner, so that should improve with time.)

It’s been a few days now, and Mr. B is settling in beautifully. With three kids and two adults, there are sometimes 10 hands wanting to pet him at once. And he looks oh so comfy on the chaise lounge.

Wu appeared on a local news station in order to get word to the child/teen who dropped off Mr. B. ”
“All I want to do is let this person know that we found him a good home. That’s the whole message,” said Wu.

What a bunch of good people were involved here. It could have gone the other direction if the wrong people found the dog. I hope the child faring OK, and will soon find out that Mr B is doing well, too.

Sources: King 5 News, Digital Journal

View the original article here

Dear Abby: Child Rode My Dog, Now My Dog is Crippled for Life

Photo from a wikiHow article on how to ride a dog.

A letter to Dear Abby today describes what happened when a 9-year-old boy tried to ride someone’s dog as if the dog were a horse. The dog is now injured for life. The boy, who doesn’t have his own dog, certainly wasn’t trying to hurt the dog, and the adults didn’t see what was happening until it was too late.

I admire the letter writer’s concern for not wanting to place undue guilt on the boy while wanting him to never do this again to another dog. Do you agree with Abby’s advice? What would you have done?

The letter follows, but I wanted to bring up the fact that on YouTube there are lots of videos of kids riding dogs as if they’re horses. Children don’t realize the damage this can cause, and many parents don’t either. Ugh, there’s even a wikiHow page on how to ride a dog.

But as Cornell University Veterinarian Sarah Bassman told The Stir: “Children riding on the back of their family dog is very dangerous for the animal, and the child, even if you have one of the giant breeds as your family pet. The muscles in a dog’s back are not strong enough and not designed to carry a passenger and could be damaged by this activity. We worry about muscle sprain and strain, vertebral subluxation, and disc-related problems. Lesser sprains and strains may need to be treated with pain medications or physical therapy while serious spinal injuries could lead to paralysis which may or may not be able to be surgically repaired.”

Here’s the Abby letter.

DEAR ABBY: My 9-year-old son’s friend “Isaac” was over for a visit. He was captivated by our Labrador retriever, “Layla,” who is very loving. Isaac doesn’t have a dog, so he wanted to play with Layla. At one point, I overheard him say to my son, “Look, I’m riding your dog!” I immediately intervened, but I was too late.

A day or so later, Layla was unable to descend our stairway and was clearly in pain. She has been on pain medication for three weeks and is growing progressively worse. The next step is to get X-rays and/or an MRI to see if she has a spinal injury, and then determine her treatment. It’s possible the damage is irreversible.

My wife and I are extremely upset about this, but we’re afraid to tell our son or Isaac and his parents for fear it will place undue guilt on a 9-year-old boy. On the flip side, I wouldn’t want him to do this to anyone else’s beloved pet. How do you recommend we proceed?

Heartbroken in New York

DEAR HEARTBROKEN: Children are not mind-readers. If you don’t tell them when they make a mistake, they won’t realize they have made one. Contact Isaac’s parents and explain what happened. If your dog needs treatment, they should be responsible for whatever damage their son did.

What do you think, Dogsters?

View the original article here

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