 Rescued from euthanasia, then from a more gruesome fate.
By Nadine Shaalan Just after midnight, Teri Hart heard a commotion outside her New River home. “Where’s the gun?” She asked her husband, who suggested she take a flashlight instead. She grabbed the flashlight, donned a robe and ran out back. Behind her lot a pack of about 10 coyotes was attacking… something. Earlier that evening, someone had asked Hart’s husband if he’d seen a lost beagle. When Hart heard the howling, she suspected the coyotes might have found the pup. She shined her light on the scrum and spotted the beagle, its head in the jaw of one of the coyotes, fighting mightily. Hart threw her five-foot-one frame over the back fence and headed toward the pack, armed with nothing but a very powerful flashlight. Hart’s high-powered beam, coupled with frantic yelling, annoyed the pack enough to allow the puppy to move closer to Hart. Not anxious to let go of the light, she tried to grab the pup, but the wounded dog took a defensive snap at her. Standing over the puppy, the coyotes still looming, Hart was at a loss. She began calling for help. After what seemed like an eternity—realistically about 15 minutes of yelling—her husband emerged to help her move the bloody and muddy beagle into the garage, away from their own three dogs. ***  Meanwhile, 63-year-old Steve Harman was sleeping fitfully in his South Phoenix home where he lives by himself. Harman’s long search for just the right canine companion had come to an end just hours before, and now he was alone again, heartbroken and guilt-ridden.
After considering hundreds of dogs, Harman saw a picture of Riley, the 10-month-old beagle, at petfinder.com, and he immediately called Valerie Cook, who had rescued the dog from the Arizona Humane Society just before being euthanized. Riley is one of hundreds of dogs Cook has rescued or fostered from the Humane Society over the years. “I go down there about three or four times a week,” she said. She brings the animals back to her 5-acre VJ Ranch and tries to find good homes for them. After a long discussion about Riley, Harman decided to drive up to the New River ranch that afternoon. “And there he was,” Harman said, knowing he found his dog. He filled out the paperwork, got the necessary instructions and headed out to start a new chapter with Riley. After packing his new best friend in the truck, Harman decided to pass by his daughter’s house. “I thought, ‘Gee, my daughter’s a vet, why don’t I have her look him over?’” They arrived at Dr. Sheri Sabo’s house just a few miles from Cook’s ranch, at about 5:30 p.m. “As soon as he hit the ground, he took off,” Harman recalls. Riley slipped his head out of his collar and was gone. “I was calling him, but he don’t know me from Adam.” Harman, his daughter, son-in-law, and Cook formed a search party looking up and down streets and driveways, in the mud and brush. When Cook was shining her flashlight around the front porch at Hart’s house (all this before the coyote attack, mind you) Hart’s husband opened the door to find out what she was up to. Cook told him of the missing beagle, but he hadn’t seen the dog. Hours later, exhausted, dejected and covered in mud, the searchers gave up. “I was just heartbroken,” Harman said. “I finally had the dog I wanted. I had him for about an hour and then he was gone.” *** After the dramatic rescue, Teri Hart and her husband watched over the bloody beagle in their garage, knowing their neighbor was a vet, but hesitant to disturb her in the middle of the night. By about 1:30 a.m., the puppy was in shock and looked as if he wasn’t going to make it. “We called Sheri, not realizing it was her father’s dog,” Hart said. Dr. Sheri Sabo didn’t hear the phone. But she, too, was sleeping restlessly, and woke at about 3 a.m. to check her messages… just in case. Dr. Sabo dressed and went to her neighbors’ to help the dog she hoped might be Riley. It was. She started fluids, administered cortisone and let the dog sleep through the night. The next morning, Dr. Sabo took Riley into work with her to Anthem Pet Medical Center, where she dressed the five puncture wounds and swollen leg. Remarkably, though the wounds were deep and his leg was swollen, there were no broken bones or other major injuries. Riley was well enough to go home that evening. Today, Harman is back with his companion. Riley is still on the mend, but getting lots of love and attention. “I was just so shocked to get the call at 3 a.m,” Harman said. “Thank God for this woman, his angel, who got there in time,” Cook said. “Two more minutes, he would have been dead.” io
Good to Know
Mobile Spay/Neuter Unit
Arizona Humane Society’s Mobile Spay/Neuter Unit provides affordable surgery and vaccines to area pet owners.
Surgery is offered on a first-come-first-served basis on pets at least 2 months old, but not older than 5 years. Fees range from $32–$95. Vaccinations are also available to surgery patients at an extra fee.
Upcoming Visits
Feb. 5-7, Petco, 2784 W. Peoria, Phoenix
Feb. 12-14, Food City, 3202 E Greenway Rd.
March 25-27, Food City, 3514 W Glendale,
April 1-3, Food City, 4727 E. Bell Road,
April 22-24, Food City, 9020 W. Thomas,
For more information, 602-997-7586, ext 3002 or www.azhumane.org. |
