http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2011/03/23/1080279
Dr. Jack Hill, left, and veterinary technician Heather Walker of Gray's Creek Animal Hospital check Lady, a bird dog. Lady is recovering at the hospital from a serious injury to her throat.
Article:
Marilyn Gilreath describes the skinny bird dog that showed up on her porch about a year ago as both gentle and sweet. That is why she decided to call her "Lady."
"She acted like she was starved to death," Gilreath recalls. "She was so bony."
Gilreath says that her daughter, who has a soft spot in her heart for animals, felt sorry for the dog and fed her. After that, Lady made regular visits twice a day to Gilreath's porch for food and water. Between those meals, Lady spent much of her time hanging out in a drainage ditch located behind Gilreath's house.
"I guess that is how she protected herself," Gilreath says.
Lady did not wear a collar or any kind of identification. Gilreath says she made attempts to find out who owned the dog by asking around the neighborhood. One day someone walked past her house and claimed that Lady was his dog. He told Gilreath that someone had dropped the dog off at his house and abandoned her.
Gilreath questioned the man about the condition of the animal. She asked if Lady had ever been to a vet or if she had been given her required rabies shot.
"All he wanted to know was how much all that would cost," Gilreath said. "He asked me where the closest vet was and I told him."
Gilreath says she does not believe Lady was ever taken to the vet.
Later, she says, another neighbor gave her a totally different story about how Lady ended up in the neighborhood. All the while, Gilreath continued to feed the hungry dog whenever she made her daily visits to her porch.
Two weeks ago, Lady disappeared for a day. When she returned to the familiar porch she was walking very slowly and she was holding her head down.
"I could tell something was wrong," Gilreath says. She went outside to check on Lady and found her covered in blood from her head to her tail.
"She could barely walk," Gilreath said. "She had lost a lot of blood."
Gilreath decided to check Lady for wounds even though she was warned that a severely injured dog, even a friendly one like Lady, may bite. Amazingly, the gentle dog willingly rolled over on her back and allowed Gilreath to examine her.
That is when Gilreath discovered the large, gaping gash across Lady's throat.
"I can't use the language," describing how she felt when she saw the dog's injury. "I said something has to be done."
Gilreath called her friend Shelby Townsend of Gray's Creek. Townsend sent a volunteer from Unchain Cumberland County to Gilreath's house to check on the injured dog.
Lady was taken to Dr. Jack Hill's office in Gray's Creek for medical treatment. Hill says that it would be difficult to determine exactly what caused the serious injury to Lady's throat.
"It could have been a dog fight," Hill says.
Hill says the large wound required about 15 stitches to close and had to be drained for infection.
Despite her ordeal, Lady appears to be a happy-go-lucky dog. She still has her sweet and gentle nature, and she appears to be enjoying the attention she is receiving during her recovery.
Gilreath says she is willing to do what she can to help her. Even though she is retired and living on a fixed income, Gilreath has already paid for some of Lady's medical treatment.
When Lady has recovered and is ready, Gilreath would like to see the dog adopted and placed in a loving home.
"I hope somebody will get her and give her a nice home where she will have plenty of room to run," Gilreath says.
Lisa Carter Waring is a retired educator and consultant who lives in Hope Mills. She can be reached at LCart99@aol.com.
