By Tere Dunlap
tdunlap@ themonroetimes.com
MONROE - Two small dogs abandoned June 18 on Jeffery Road have a home, thanks to Bonnie and John Ammon.
The Ammons found the dogs, and then found family friends who were willing to give the dogs a new home.
"It was the cruelest thing," Bonnie said about the abandonment. "But I can tell you, they're happy little campers now. They're safe and in a good home."
It was a happy ending for the two little dogs, which Bonnie described as little "Benji-types" with curly, white hair.
That's not always the case. The animal group In Defense of Animals estimates about 20 percent of companion animals in the United States will at some point bcome lost - some accidently and others intentionally abandoned. Of those, 16 percent of dogs and 2 percent of cats are ever recovered by there owners.
Of the 625 dogs brought to the shelter in 2008 and 2009, about 36 percent were reclaimed by their owners, according to Deb Broge, GCHS executive director. Only 33 cat owners found and reclaimed their pets among the 700 cats brought in during the same period.
Every dog and cat brought to GCHS shelter is either a stray or has been abandoned, Broge said. The shelter does not take voluntarily surrendered animals.
People moving is one reason some pets may end up being abandoned.
"We are getting more calls daily from people who have animals and are moving and can no longer keep them," she said.
Owner homelessness is another hazard for pets.
"When people lose their home, it's usually the animal that loses out," Broge said.
People who find a pet can make a phone call to GCHS to see if its owner is searching for it. The shelter keeps a record of reported lost and found pets.
"People are kind and will offer to keep the animal until the owner calls us," Broge said. People offering to keep a found pet reduce the financial strain on the animal shelter, she added.
"After seven days, the animal can become the property of the person who found it, and people often times say they will keep it," Broge said. "There are some wonderful and good people out there."
Wisconsin laws prohibit abandoning animals, which carries a fine of up to $500. Witnessing an abandonment is rare; identifying the person can be difficult.
That was the case for the Ammons. On the night of June 18, John Ammon saw from his bedroom window a woman walking along the road near his home. She was carrying something in her arms and a little dog was following her. A car was also following her.
Then the woman set something on the ground, got into the car and left.
John told his wife what he had seen, but neither of them suspected it was a dog.
"The next morning I found a little, bitty dog in our garage, hiding behind a vehicle tire," Bonnie said.
Bonnie said the dog was so frightened that it was shaking and wouldn't come to her. She fed it twice during the day before she could pick it up and bring it into the house.
She left a bowl of food on the steps for the other dog, which eventually came up to the door to eat.
"Before I knew it, it was jumping on my door and wanted in. So I let it in," she said.
Bonnie said she and John would have kept the dogs but have three cats and a dog of their own.
She is astounded that a person could abandon little dogs in the countryside.
"They're city dogs," she said. "How can anybody do that, dump them?"
tdunlap@ themonroetimes.com
MONROE - Two small dogs abandoned June 18 on Jeffery Road have a home, thanks to Bonnie and John Ammon.
The Ammons found the dogs, and then found family friends who were willing to give the dogs a new home.
"It was the cruelest thing," Bonnie said about the abandonment. "But I can tell you, they're happy little campers now. They're safe and in a good home."
It was a happy ending for the two little dogs, which Bonnie described as little "Benji-types" with curly, white hair.
That's not always the case. The animal group In Defense of Animals estimates about 20 percent of companion animals in the United States will at some point bcome lost - some accidently and others intentionally abandoned. Of those, 16 percent of dogs and 2 percent of cats are ever recovered by there owners.
Of the 625 dogs brought to the shelter in 2008 and 2009, about 36 percent were reclaimed by their owners, according to Deb Broge, GCHS executive director. Only 33 cat owners found and reclaimed their pets among the 700 cats brought in during the same period.
Every dog and cat brought to GCHS shelter is either a stray or has been abandoned, Broge said. The shelter does not take voluntarily surrendered animals.
People moving is one reason some pets may end up being abandoned.
"We are getting more calls daily from people who have animals and are moving and can no longer keep them," she said.
Owner homelessness is another hazard for pets.
"When people lose their home, it's usually the animal that loses out," Broge said.
People who find a pet can make a phone call to GCHS to see if its owner is searching for it. The shelter keeps a record of reported lost and found pets.
"People are kind and will offer to keep the animal until the owner calls us," Broge said. People offering to keep a found pet reduce the financial strain on the animal shelter, she added.
"After seven days, the animal can become the property of the person who found it, and people often times say they will keep it," Broge said. "There are some wonderful and good people out there."
Wisconsin laws prohibit abandoning animals, which carries a fine of up to $500. Witnessing an abandonment is rare; identifying the person can be difficult.
That was the case for the Ammons. On the night of June 18, John Ammon saw from his bedroom window a woman walking along the road near his home. She was carrying something in her arms and a little dog was following her. A car was also following her.
Then the woman set something on the ground, got into the car and left.
John told his wife what he had seen, but neither of them suspected it was a dog.
"The next morning I found a little, bitty dog in our garage, hiding behind a vehicle tire," Bonnie said.
Bonnie said the dog was so frightened that it was shaking and wouldn't come to her. She fed it twice during the day before she could pick it up and bring it into the house.
She left a bowl of food on the steps for the other dog, which eventually came up to the door to eat.
"Before I knew it, it was jumping on my door and wanted in. So I let it in," she said.
Bonnie said she and John would have kept the dogs but have three cats and a dog of their own.
She is astounded that a person could abandon little dogs in the countryside.
"They're city dogs," she said. "How can anybody do that, dump them?"