Judy
10-26-2005, 09:44 AM
Animal lovers following plight of dogs
Animal lovers worldwide are watching Baxter County.
Web sites, message boards and chat rooms are filling up with people wanting to know what is happening at Gamaliel animal sanctuary Every Dog Needs A Home (EDNAH). Police executed a search warrant on the property Friday and discovered more than 400 dogs living in filthy conditions.
Owners William and Tammy Hanson were arrested for animal cruelty. The two were released on $1,000 bond each.
Nothing much changed Tuesday with the dogs. Volunteers still are caring for the dogs while awaiting word when the dogs can be moved.
The Bulletin has received e-mails from readers in Minnesota, Washington, Texas, California, Montana and a host of other states as well as individuals and groups from Sweden, Canada, England and other countries who have been monitoring the Gamaliel situation.
Former Mountain Home resident Lindsey Hardin said when a neighbor threatened to shoot her chow, she decided to find him a new home through EDNAH. She said the dog ran away from the sanctuary within 24 hours of arriving, and when he was finally found, he seemed scared of the Hansons.
"Now, I didn't see the 'dog sanctuary,' and I think that the owner's intentions are really honest and good, but there must have been a reason that my dog didn't want to go back with her, besides the fact that he missed me," she said.
Hardin reports the dog is now happy and healthy and living with her parents.
Others say the animal rescue community is anxiously waiting to see what happens with the dogs and where they end up being relocated.
"The world is watching what is taking place in Baxter County, Arkansas," one reader from Mississippi wrote to The Bulletin.
Pasado's Safe Haven, a Seattle-based organization that rescues and rehabilitates animals, recently sent approximately 50 pit bulls to EDNAH. Now it wants them back.
According to Pasado's Safe Haven Web site, the group has located paperwork for each animal the organization sent to EDNAH. The statement goes on to say that all of their animals were checked out by veterinarians and had rabies vaccinations, and the group wants to remove the dogs from the property as soon as possible.
For Pits' Sake, a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving pit bulls, said it began investigating the Hansons on Oct. 2 after learning that other organizations were going to place dogs with EDNAH. According to its Web site, it found complaints against the sanctuary and not enough adequate staff to care for the dogs. http://www.baxterbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051026/NEWS01/510260305/1002
Animal lovers worldwide are watching Baxter County.
Web sites, message boards and chat rooms are filling up with people wanting to know what is happening at Gamaliel animal sanctuary Every Dog Needs A Home (EDNAH). Police executed a search warrant on the property Friday and discovered more than 400 dogs living in filthy conditions.
Owners William and Tammy Hanson were arrested for animal cruelty. The two were released on $1,000 bond each.
Nothing much changed Tuesday with the dogs. Volunteers still are caring for the dogs while awaiting word when the dogs can be moved.
The Bulletin has received e-mails from readers in Minnesota, Washington, Texas, California, Montana and a host of other states as well as individuals and groups from Sweden, Canada, England and other countries who have been monitoring the Gamaliel situation.
Former Mountain Home resident Lindsey Hardin said when a neighbor threatened to shoot her chow, she decided to find him a new home through EDNAH. She said the dog ran away from the sanctuary within 24 hours of arriving, and when he was finally found, he seemed scared of the Hansons.
"Now, I didn't see the 'dog sanctuary,' and I think that the owner's intentions are really honest and good, but there must have been a reason that my dog didn't want to go back with her, besides the fact that he missed me," she said.
Hardin reports the dog is now happy and healthy and living with her parents.
Others say the animal rescue community is anxiously waiting to see what happens with the dogs and where they end up being relocated.
"The world is watching what is taking place in Baxter County, Arkansas," one reader from Mississippi wrote to The Bulletin.
Pasado's Safe Haven, a Seattle-based organization that rescues and rehabilitates animals, recently sent approximately 50 pit bulls to EDNAH. Now it wants them back.
According to Pasado's Safe Haven Web site, the group has located paperwork for each animal the organization sent to EDNAH. The statement goes on to say that all of their animals were checked out by veterinarians and had rabies vaccinations, and the group wants to remove the dogs from the property as soon as possible.
For Pits' Sake, a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving pit bulls, said it began investigating the Hansons on Oct. 2 after learning that other organizations were going to place dogs with EDNAH. According to its Web site, it found complaints against the sanctuary and not enough adequate staff to care for the dogs. http://www.baxterbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051026/NEWS01/510260305/1002