Chow

Steve found a chow near the Forks post office, walking around in circles in the street. The dog seemed disoriented and afraid, and looked like he had either been on his own for quite some time, or had been neglected before he escaped or was abandoned. It took about an hour to catch the chow, who was then discovered to be saturated in grease. Steve bathed him, but had to shave off most of the animal's fur because it was too matted to brush and the grease would not all wash out. After shaving the dog and exposing his skin, some sores were discovered and the chow's skin was weeping fluid when squeezed. It was undetermined whether this was from being burned by hot grease or from fleas; the dog was treated for his flea infestation, and his skin began to clear up. Inspection of the dog's teeth determined that he had wear patterns similar to what is often seen in laboratory animals that chew on their cage bars, and one incisor was broken off. One of his eyes was mildly infected.

The chow did very well at the Sanctuary for about a week and a half, but then Steve located the owners and hesitantly returned the dog. It turned out that he had escaped the same morning Steve found him; according to his owners, he had chewed through metal siding during a thunder storm. This did not explain the long-term wear on his teeth, the greasy, matted fur, or the fleas. The owners expressed concern that the dog would be too cold without his fur, but said they could not keep him inside because he "hates cats." Steve had already exposed the dog to cats and found that he really liked them, but simply didn't know how to behave around them, and if they ran, he chased -- the same response almost every dog has.

We can't steal animals from their owners, even though sometimes we'd like to. It was clear that this chow was not being cared for, but legally he had to be returned. We will try to keep track of the dog and make sure that he does not return to the same state of neglect he was found in, but there may not be much we can do without an animal control officer in the city of Forks.

It was heartbreaking to return the chow to the people that took such poor care of him; we hope that we can follow up and ensure he is better cared for in the future.