Clean shave, clean start
<p>Casey is pictured before his haircut.</p>
<p>Juanita Trapp, an employee at Kootenai Humane Society holds Casey, a five year old perviously neglected shih tzu mix, Thursday at the humane society in Hayden. Casey was found malnourished along Ramsey Road and Highway 41.</p>
<p>Juanita Trapp takes shih tzu mix, Casey, for a walk Thursday afternoon. Casey was previously neglected and will not be able to be released from the shelter due the process of his situation for at least seven days.</p>
A little dog in Athol spent last weekend's sweltering days outdoors, encased in a mass of ungroomed fur so matted the animal could barely walk.
A passerby noticed the black dog Friday afternoon while driving through the area of north Ramsey Road near Highway 54. He was leaving town on a camping trip. When he returned on Monday, the dog was still there, so the good Samaritan picked it up and brought it to the Kootenai Humane Society in Hayden.
"He was teary-eyed, and he was a big, young man. He was sad," said Mary Powell, a dog technician at the humane society.
Powell and others at the Humane Society quickly went to work on the animal. It was anesthetized, then with clippers and razors, the little dog's massive, messy nest of hair was removed.
Beneath the hair, they found a petite male Shih Tzu that Powell named "Casey."
The little dog was resting happily in the technician's office Thursday at the Humane Society. He emerged from one of the desks when called by his new name.
Powell said the dog could barely walk when he first arrived. The hair had matted Casey's legs together so he had to shuffle.
Because Casey was found in the county's jurisdiction for animal control, Humane Society staff alerted the sheriff's office that the dog had been found. Since Casey needed medical attention, the nonprofit Humane Society agreed to foster it for the county.
The sheriff's office issued a media release Thursday asking the public for help in locating the dog's owner.
"As a result of the lack of care to this Shih Tzu and after receiving well-needed grooming, he now has to learn to walk again and rebuild muscles that had atrophied," the release stated.
Anyone with information about the dog is asked to call Kootenai County Sheriff's Office Animal Control at (208) 446-1300.
It is unclear at this time whether the dog will be available for adoption. Vicky Nelson, the Humane Society's development director, said the sheriff's office will determine the dog's fate. She said if the owner is not located, it's likely Casey will be released to the Humane Society and it will continue to nurse him back to health and eventually get him adopted.
Nelson said they see a lot of animal neglect.
"It's extremely sad, but the community needs to know that this is going on in their own backyard," Nelson said.
She said just two days ago, a cat was dropped off in a kennel. It was left outside in the parking lot in the middle of the day in the 95-degree heat. She said they've had cats dropped off outside the facility's gate in cardboard boxes that are duct-taped shut.
"We've had animals that were chained to the fence, kittens left in sealed up duffel bags, animals left outside when it's real cold," Nelson said.
When she thought of one particular dog named Jack, Nelson's eyes welled up with tears.
Powell said Jack, a Yorkie, came to the Humane Society after his owner was told by authorities she had too many dogs and had to give up two.
"He was here for two-three days and he wasn't eating and his face started swelling up," Powell said. "He had a rubber band around his nose holding his mouth shut so he wouldn't bark and it was infected and embedded into his face."
The rubber band couldn't be seen because it was so deeply enmeshed in the animal's skin, and it matched the color of the dog's fur. It had to be surgically removed, Powell said.
The cost of caring for these animals is borne by the nonprofit Humane Society, Nelson said.
The shelter operates independently of the government agencies in the area and relies on donations for nearly 100 percent of its funding.
Last year, the society adopted out more than 2,600 animals, 800 of which were kittens.
One of the Humane Society's major fundraisers is coming up soon. Tails at Twilight, a dinner and auction, will take place at 5 p.m. July 16 at the Coeur d'Alene Casino's Chinook Meadow.
The financial support generated from the event helps provide medical care, food and shelter for the unwanted, abused, and abandoned animals in the community.
Jon Provost, the actor who played Timmy in the "Lassie" television series in the 1950s and '60s, will make a celebrity appearance at the event.
Tickets are $100 per person and $175 per couple. Tables of eight are available for $700.
To purchase tickets or for more information about the event, visit www.kootenaihumanesociety.com or call 819-2812.