Is it a necessary evil? Nathan Winograd thinks otherwise.

I will blog about it at another time. This edition of The Daily Biscuit is to save a poor dog who's had a rough life.

Doesn't this story just break your heart? Below is from the Oregon Humans Society

After over a year of nursing Walt back to health he is now going to be destroyed on May 15th. I will help place him and transport if anyone knows of someone who can foster. Should be dog savvy, not gone all day and willing to continue his medical treatment which is only some oral medications, eye ointment, and a a bi-weekly medicated bath. Good with cats and other dogs (if supervised).

We are desperately looking for rescue for our shelter's longest resident dog, Walt. Walt is a four year old American Pit Bull/Sharpei mix. He was rescued from severe neglect by our Humane Officers back in April 2007. Walt's former owner was sentenced to 10 days in jail and a $2,000 fine for the horrific lack of care she provided Walt. Walt has been the focus of many departments at the Oregon Humane Society in the past year, starting with investigations, and the medical care team, on to foster care, behavior and kennels, and even marketing as his sad story became a published success story. Through these combined efforts we've learned a lot about Walt--he is a devoted canine companion to his people, is fun-loving but head strong and would require a special and experienced home with a person or persons who will be understanding and sensitive to his n! eeds. Walt will also require ongoing treatment for his allergies and dry eyes which right now averages about $140.00 a month. Equally as important as Walt's physical needs being taken care of, is his mental well being. He is sensitive and loving dog and it is our fondest hope to place Walt in the care of rescue or home that will be dedicated to Walt's overall welfare, mind, body and spirit.

Walt's story is tail of triumph over tragedy. Despite the miserable shape Walt was in when he arrived at OHS, it never dampened his indomitable spirit, enthusiasm or his love of people. He put up with daily baths and medications without complaint and always had a joyous greeting and kiss for anyone who stopped to say "hello". However, as much Walt loved the staff at OHS and we loved him, it was not enough. What he needed was a miracle. The miracle came in the form of a loving and doting foster mom named Miriam Moore. Under her tender love and guidance Walt blossomed. For ten months, Walt had been in her loving care and embrace. She was not only his caretaker, but his best friend, defender and advocate. She loved him unconditionally and had seen him through months of rehabilitation as he slowly recovered from severe mange, ulcerated eyes and entro! pion (a condition that caused his eyelids to roll inward and aggravating his eyes causing the ulcers and eye infections), horrible skin allergies and would had to have been unimaginable pain and discomfort.

Miriam describes Walt as a sweet heart and real love bug. He wants nothing more than to love and be loved. He thrives on attention, snuggling, giving kisses and being the beneficiary of compliments and kind words. He also loves a warm soft bed and toys, including his favorites, tennis balls and Kongs. Miriam feels Walt is still a puppy at heart. She theorizes he probably never had puppy playtime when he was young so he still has bundles of fun energy stored up inside him ("keep away" is his favorite game). While in foster care with Miriam, Walt took great joy in going for walks, car rides and strolling through the neighborhood making new friends. Walt always tried his best to be well behaved and put his best paw forward. In his quest to always please and do the right thing he quickly learned new commands and was always very agreeable and gentle w! hen he took food from your hand or when you gave him pills or took a prized toy away from him. He was also very proud of himself for being housebroken. However, only on a few occasions he had accidents in the house, which were due in part to the medications he was taking at the time. Miriam tells us Walt felt awful when the occasional accident happened, and he cowered and begged for forgiveness. Walt got along well with Miriam's resident cats. He liked to try and play with them. He was not taught how to play gently with his feline friends, so he needed the gentle reminder "no cats" when he gets a little too enthusiastic. Walt is not dog aggressive, he does however, startle easy around other dogs due to his limited vision. Walt can be around other dogs supervised, such as walking and being kenneled. With the proper introduction and supervision we believe Walt can eventually co-habitat peacefully with other dogs.

As much as Miriam loved Walt, she made the extremely difficult decision four months ago to return Walt to the shelter to better his chances for adoption. The bond between woman and dog had grown incredibly strong and she felt it would be best that Walt not grow more dependent or bonded to her than he already was. The transition for Walt from a stable and loving home environment to the shelter was obviously difficult for him. But again, his indomitable spirit and enthusiasm took over and he quickly adjusted to the routine of kennel life as best he could.

However, over the past several weeks Walt has begun to experience extreme stress in the kennels and his behavior has become more unpredictable and has necessitated that we come to the hard decision that continuing to house him here at OHS long term would be to his detriment. Although we feel he is placeable due to his success in foster with a very committed and caring foster parent, we have not been able to find a home, rescue or sanctuary for him despite exhaustive efforts by everyone involved. For these reasons the difficult decision was made to place a deadline of May 15th on our efforts to find placement for Walt.

Walt needs your help now! Please, please can you be the saving grace for our Walt? If you were to welcome Walt to your home or facility our staff of veterinarians would be more than happy to discuss at length Walt's complete medical history and needs with you. His demodex mange is now completely resolved. To control his ongoing skin allergies and thyroid condition he is currently on several oral medications daily, eye ointment, a bi-weekly medicated bath and a special allergy diet. It may sound like a lot of work, but Walt will more than repay you in devotion and companionship.

Walt has been through so much and it is our biggest hope that Walt can find placement in a rescue or home where he can live out the remainder of his days in love, peace and comfort. OHS is a large shelter with many resources, but we have exhausted those resources in Walt's case and are reaching out to you for help. If you can help Walt in anyway we urge you to please contact us as soon as possible, as time for Walt is running out.

Thank you so much we and Walt look forward to hearing from you!

Name: Walt Code Number: 54088 Date Available: 5/5/2008 Adoption Fee: $35
Breed: American Pit Bull/Sharpei Pattern: Black Color: Black/Not Specified
Gender: Male Age: 4 Yr, 8 Mo Weight: 70 lbs.

Walt is one lucky pup. He's been an ongoing "extreme makeover" involving months of care by the OHS veterinary Medical Team and the Foster Care Department. Walt was quite a mess when he arrived at the Oregon Humane Society. Demodectic mange had taken over his entire body and he was painful and itched everywhere. His eyes were swollen and ulcerated and he could barely see. It was difficult to see Walt in such misery and the medical team began work immediately to treat his conditions. Demodex is a difficult and time-consuming condition to resolve, but as Walt began to feel some relief, his personality began to emerge. The staff fell in love with this comical and clumsy lover boy who couldn't wait for his daily walks so he could say "hello" to all of his friends up and down the halls of OHS. Eventually, Walt's eye infections and ulcers cleared to the point that he could undergo surgery to correct his eyelids, which rolled inward and aggravated the infections. Things were defi! nitely looking up for Walt! This is when a very dedicated and supportive foster care provider came into Walt's life, taking him into her home for much needed one-on-one love and attention, and continuing his medical treatment and check-ups back at OHS. Once again, Walt proceeded to steal the hearts of his foster parent's friends and neighbors with his joy for life and playful personality. He delights in going for walks and meeting new people, and lives in peace with several feline housemates. His foster mom tells us Walt likes to try and play with cats. He was not taught how to play gently with his feline friends, so he needs the gentle reminder "no cats" when he gets a little too enthusiastic. His foster mom describes Walt as a sweet dog with a heart of gold. All he wants is affection, praise and a warm soft place to sleep. He loves to give kisses and go for rides in the car. Walt has overcome so many obstacles and maintained such a great attitude; he deserves a very special adopt! ive fam ily to help craft a happy ending to his extraordinary story. He is a very special dog who will need a very special home where he can continue to recover from his previous neglect. The perfect home for Walt would be one with no children under age 12, where he can be a part of the family as an indoor companion, with people who are willing to accommodate his special needs. He can be very unpredictable around other dogs, due in part to his poor eyesight, so a home with no other dogs is strongly advised. Walt will need to receive periodic evaluations and regular vet care of his skin condition until it is completely resolved. If you would like to learn more about Walt and arrange to meet him, please contact our Shelter Medicine Coordinator Linda at lindaf@oregonhumane.org.

If you're interested in taking Walt into your home to love and care for, please contact
lindaf@oregonhumane.org OR kristinb@oregonhumane.org