Puppy Survives Euthanasia (U.S.A.) CTV

[Inthedoghouse]

The Associated Press

Date: Thursday Mar. 3, 2011 9:13 AM ET

OKLAHOMA CITY — Hundreds of people from the United States and Canada want to adopt an Oklahoma dog that survived an attempt to euthanize it.

The puppy was one of five stray dogs that Sulphur animal control officer Scott Prall put to sleep Friday — or so he thought. Prall found one of the dogs alive Saturday in a trash bin set aside for dead animals and took it to veterinarian technician Amanda Kloski.

"He was prancing around. He heard me drive up, and he looked up and saw me," Prall said Wednesday.

He said he initially found the stray dog near the animal shelter Friday and tried to kill it by injecting the dog with two lethal doses of a sedative in a foreleg and the heart. Each dose should have been enough to kill the dog, and the second injection was meant to ensure it worked.

Kloski noted the dog's survival on a pet adoption website, drawing the attention of Marcia Machtiger of Pittsburgh, who donated US$100 so Kloski could board the dog for a week.

A girl from Sulphur named the puppy Wall-e, after a Disney movie character, and Machtiger posted Wall-e's story on her Facebook page.

She and Kloski are sorting through hundreds of e-mails and phone calls from people wanting to adopt the lucky dog.

"So many people are interested," Kloski said. "Now we're going through and trying to find the adoption applications for the best home."

Wall-e will be placed in a foster home at the end of the week while the search for a permanent home continues. Both Kloski and Machtiger said they have never seen so many people want to adopt one animal.

Machtiger said people are interested in the puppy because his story is unique.

"Having been euthanized basically twice. ... It's a resurrection and a will to live and a medical anomaly," she said.

Sulphur is about 130 kilometres south of Oklahoma City.

------------Bless the four dogs who didn't have a chance

[Melinda]

I ask where all these people were that now seemingly have room in their homes for a stray that didn't have the same room before this pup and the other 4 were put to death? I'm glad he made it and hope he finds the perfect home.

[Inthedoghouse]

....excellent point, Melinda !

[kathryn]

Originally Posted by Melinda

I ask where all these people were that now seemingly have room in their homes for a stray that didn't have the same room before this pup and the other 4 were put to death? I'm glad he made it and hope he finds the perfect home.

Exactly. Having been in shelter work for a while, I can tell you it's not until a pet has an interesting story do people care. Cute dog thrown into traffic and hit by car? Guaranteed adoption. Just another stray cat brought into the shelter? Off to the euthanasia room you go!

[Melinda]

its the same way here Kathryn, we did have a young labx pup tossed from a car in front of a bunch of teenagers, before he even had surgery the spca was flooded with calls wanting to adopt him, at the time there were 3 other labx pups at the shelter.....waiting for homes.

[hedgiemama]

Originally Posted by kathryn

Exactly. Having been in shelter work for a while, I can tell you it's not until a pet has an interesting story do people care. Cute dog thrown into traffic and hit by car? Guaranteed adoption. Just another stray cat brought into the shelter? Off to the euthanasia room you go!

that was my thought exactly, people only want to adopt a pet so bad after they have seen it in the newspaper or heard it survived some unfortunate event, and i mean it is great that the puppy is getting adopted but why didnt they go and adopt one before ?

[chico2]

I think it makes people feel like heroes,maybe they'll even have their pic in the paper,but when really sets in and this pup starts peeing on the floor etc....he might once again have no home.

I just hope the adoption-procedure is done carefully,to get the right people.
For all the others who wanted to adopt him,I am sure there are plenty of needy dogs at the shelter.

[kathryn]

I'm seeing the dog also survived a heartstick I mean I totally believe a dog could survive a botched IV euth, because if you were to blow the vein the dog would be knocked out for a while but the solution would work it's way out of the system at some point. To survive an IC injection is just pretty dang weird, or the shelter is possibly lying about that part, or it just wasn't done properly. When you do a heartstick you have to obviously stick it in their heart and you pull back on the syringe and should get a major flash of blood... I think they probably screwed up both (blew the vein AND missed the heart) and that's why the dog lived. I'm surprised the dog didn't get a bit of brain damage though.

When I had a feral cat from a colony that got hit by a car, it took a few attempts to euthanize him because he was freaking out and had a weird reaction to the anesthesia, but once he was down he was down... we did an IC injection and that was it.

[BenMax]

Originally Posted by kathryn

I'm seeing the dog also survived a heartstick I mean I totally believe a dog could survive a botched IV euth, because if you were to blow the vein the dog would be knocked out for a while but the solution would work it's way out of the system at some point. To survive an IC injection is just pretty dang weird, or the shelter is possibly lying about that part, or it just wasn't done properly. When you do a heartstick you have to obviously stick it in their heart and you pull back on the syringe and should get a major flash of blood... I think they probably screwed up both (blew the vein AND missed the heart) and that's why the dog lived. I'm surprised the dog didn't get a bit of brain damage though.

When I had a feral cat from a colony that got hit by a car, it took a few attempts to euthanize him because he was freaking out and had a weird reaction to the anesthesia, but once he was down he was down... we did an IC injection and that was it.

Very strange..but I have seen botched euths before....very disturbing.
I know of cases of botched gassing...but heartstick? That is incredible.

Another lesson to be learnt.

- to the little pup.!

[Frenchy]

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/World/2011...rvives-110303/

Now everyone wants to adopt him. Which is fine but .... there's also tons of other dogs up for adoption.....

[BenMax]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/World/2011...rvives-110303/

Now everyone wants to adopt him. Which is fine but .... there's also tons of other dogs up for adoption.....

Funny heh? Always the way. How many of those people will adopt another I wonder?

[14+kitties]

Originally Posted by BenMax

Funny heh? Always the way. How many of those people will adopt another I wonder?

Zip, zero, zilch, nadda, none .....................

[BenMax]

Originally Posted by 14+kitties

Zip, zero, zilch, nadda, none .....................

I find it incredible that when there is a focus on an incident such as this..or media coverage for dogs and cats that are seized...there is an overwhelming response. I find it sad really...I would hope that all these people would give another a second chance.

[chico2]

The Star has a rather long article about this pup,who is in the US,I am sure they could find thousands of sad stories right here in Canada to write about,to get dogs/cats out of shelters and in to homes.
Not that I begrudge this little one a good home

[BenMax]

Originally Posted by chico2

Not that I begrudge this little one a good home

Lucky little guy..he will no doubt find an amazing home..and so deserves it.
Alot of people do not know what goes on.
On a good note, now that there is awareness...I am sure that there will be more than just this one that is adopted. What is sad however, is not all these people will adopt from shelters or rescues because they want 'THIS ONE'.
The way I see it....the little guy has saved more lives and at the very least put out some very much required awareness. It also puts this place on the map...and hopefully people will go and adopt.

[t.pettet]

Thats quite the society we live in where tiny pups just weeks old are scheduled for euthanasia. They never had a chance. Yet NASA just made a $500 million mistake when the capsule just launched sank into the ocean.

[BenMax]

Originally Posted by t.pettet

Thats quite the society we live in where tiny pups just weeks old are scheduled for euthanasia. They never had a chance. Yet NASA just made a $500 million mistake when the capsule just launched sank into the ocean.

Great point.

[chico2]

I agree,I suppose those little lives had no value to anyone

[t.pettet]

What with the global interest in this story I just hope it opens people's minds to the bigger picture of too many animals without enough homes and how mandatory affordable spay/neuter programs are. We all know how unjust it is that humane societies and pounds receive no gov't funding and depend on donations and fundraisers to survive so I recently put a suggestion to my local MP that every household have a mandatory $5.00 a year taken off their municipal taxes as a lump sum payment to their area spca with the sole purpose of funding spay/neuter programs. That would be a $2,500 donation from 500 households. Will see his response to this proposal.